You may strip a man of his clothing.

You may deny a man a hot meal.

You may break down and tarnish a man's pride.

But one thing you may not do, is take away his education.

The will to inquire and acquire is power.

Education is more than sitting in a desk for 8 hours a day.

Education is more than a lady in glasses telling you how to find x.

Education is more than being a broke and depressed college student.

Education is 7 year old Emily learning how to warm her brother's bottle

to feed him because their mother is too high on crack to feed him herself.

Education is 10 year old Omet learning to filter the water he got from the creek because there is no water suitable for drinking in his village.

Education is 13 year old Tyler learning how to bob and weave so that he doesn't have to use his mother's make up to cover the blackened eye from his abusive step father

Education is 17 year old Jerome learning to accept the fact that he is gay and God does not hate him despite what his family says.

Education is 25 year old Teresa learning to trust men again after being stripped of her innocence and molested by her own father as a child.

When you tell me solving this equation is supposed to help me prepare for the "real world," I cannot hear you.

All I hear are the cries of the Emily, Omet, Tyler, Jerome, and the Teresas of the world.

If you really want to teach me something....

If you really want to teach us all something...

Teach us that gravity won't keep us from falling on hard times.

Teach us that the speed of light won't pay our electric bills.

Teach us that finding the solution to a problem isn't as easy as finding x.

You may strip a man of his clothing.

You may deny a man a hot meal.

You may break down and tarnish a man's pride.

But one thing you may not do, is take away his education.

So educate him with something worth learning for 8 hours a day.

Something real.