Acquiring an education is one of the most critical aspects of a person's life. It should be considered as vital as the air we breathe. The key to a healthy mind and a successful person is learning. “Without education, you will get nowhere in this world” is a famous quote by Malcolm Education will help a person grow as an individual because a highly knowledgeable person will have a better grip in handling any problem that arises. Literacy is the foundation of who we are as individuals. Every decision we make, as well as our thought process, is the basis of what we know. Gaining knowledge gives us pleasure and raises our morale. Education should be a part of everyone's life because it is one of the most valuable assets a person can ever have and can open doors and ease the path to future achievement and economic success. However, Americans face many obstacles that create this intellectual problem. One of the obstacles we face with education is how school is perceived by people. Americans have lost the desire to learn; very often we hear phrases like “school is boring” or “school requires a lot of work” among students. Children going to school today would much rather be elsewhere. These students prefer hanging out with their friends or running around the house or anywhere except school. Now, when they are at school, they can't remember the main reason why they are there. This causes many students to avoid school and sometimes not bother showing up at all. According to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for ...... middle of paper ...... n life; a person should also have the skills to be a leader, be highly educated and never quit at the sight of a problem. Educated people are considered to be leaders. Education is also the path to your success. An ideal education will not be possible if one of these three components is missing; they are: parents, teachers and students. The child, parent and teacher should always work together to create and maintain a perfect education system. I truly believe that my success depends on the choices I make in life and the people who influence me as I grow. Works Cited Kanner, Allen. Q. "Today's lesson brought to you by..." American Now. Ed. Roberto Atwan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 278-280. Wikipedia contributors. "Instruction". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 27 January 2011. Web. 27 January. 2011