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Ann Lee
  • Ann Lee
  • San Jose, CA
  • United States

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I believe the right to an education is a basic human right..what can we do to make that a reality?

Governor Brown just signed the Dream Act and that propelled me to think about how accessible education is in United States and around the world. Education shouldn't be something that only the privileged can afford. What can we do to give every child an opportunity to improve their lives through education?

Topics: education human rights
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    John Locke

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    Oct 11 2011: Not everyone should go to college. We, in our current society, need people willing to do jobs that involve physical labor and very little intellect. As people become more and more educated, less and less people will be willing to do those jobs causing a massive need for any physical labor jobs. However, people should have the ability to go to college, go to med school, etc. if they can afford it. There are many programs that help pay for advanced education. Everyone in the USA is able to go to college unless their grades are so poor that no one is willing to accept them... Everyone is not equal. Some are rich, some are poor, some are smart, and some are not. And not everyone has the same opportunities. But, everyone can go to college in the USA. Whether they want to or not is up to them.

    • Helen O kekai

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      Oct 14 2011: Hold on Jake! You are saying physical labor doesn't require any intelligence (Or as you say "very little intellect.") What an incredibly ridiculous, condescending thing to say!
      So a welder doesn't need any intellect? So it's easy to understand the different metals, fluxes, temperatures! And a plumber needs to know engineering, physics, hydraulics. Someone who builds homes needs to know mechanical engineering, trigonometry, stresses of joints, walls, electricity. You are gravely misinformed.
      I have one of the most physically demanding jobs in the world! A trauma nurse practitioner. Could you deal with motor vehicle crashes, picking up bodies off the road, then turning around and performing life-saving procedures? Heck you can't even spell or know how to use spell-check! "Opportunities" not "oppertunities" Your grammar and syntax are below 4th grade level. So-o-o let's put you into cotton harvesting. . How do you like being pigeon-holed?
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        Linda Hesthag Ellwein 50+

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        Oct 14 2011: Helen - There are many people here writing in their second language, and that's quite an accomplishment in my opinion! I speak fluent Norwegian, but don't spell in Norwegian all that well even though I've spoken it all my life. Also, there are many highly intelligent people who are not the greatest spellers - it's not related to IQ as far as I know.

        I appreciate the diversity of thought and opinion here, but most of all I appreciate the civility and mutual respect TED Conversations encourages. Last, but not least - You have quite a job...thank you for doing something so challenging for those in need.
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      Letitia Falk 10+

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      Oct 17 2011: Jake, I see what you're saying but as technology improves we need less and less laborers. Also just because someone has to/wants to work in a labor-based job shouldn't condemn them to ignorance. I think for this discussion we need to define what the purpose of an education is? Is it the means to a job or something more? Because knowledge is more accesible now through the internet than it has been in history. The question is how to make it available to everyone equally.

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