Technology. The Internet. Both have become a major part of people’s lives over the course of the last forty or so years. It is hard to do practically anything without either, yet the recent COVID-19 pandemic has proved that both are not readily accessible to the general public. As great in supply as people think modern technology is, not everyone can afford it. Some people were born into bad situations and lack support to get out of them, causing them to work multiple jobs. Their focus never shifts to the Internet or technology, as they are fully in it to have a decent home to live and sleep in, as well as enough food and water to sustain them and their family. When those people have children, especially in this day and age, their education quality declines in their families inability to obtain the proper means of technology. While technology has inspired people to push past the limitations of knowledge to learn more about the world, it further creates a barrier between the upper class and the lower/middle class.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, technology proved itself to be a dominate force to stay. Behind individuals are the years of grinding out extended math problems by hand. Behind individuals are the years of searching through library catalogs, all to find quick information for a research project. Now, people can just look up a question, of any kind, and get the answer in an instant. No matter how great it sounds, it is another indicator of those who struggle to live and those who struggle to struggle living. Quality of education should not focus on what a child can readily obtain, but it has.
Due to the work of my parents, I am extremely lucky to have not ended up in that situation. Even though I will still be paying back hundreds of thousands of dollars back towards a loan after college and, hopefully, medical school, I am lucky to have had the opportunity to go to college. Part of which is because I could go out and get a highly functional calculator and a computer for college. Sadly, I would grow up watching people not have the same chance. In my city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, there are high school academies located in poorer areas to boost state mandated test scores. I would end up attending the Health Sciences Academy in my local area because of my passion for the healthcare field. The academy was in one of the least, if not the least, developed area within the town. I met a lot of great people that would have to stay after or go to the local library, just to have the chance of completing an essay or a part of their homework. When the pandemic hit, I immediately worried about those same kids. I had a pretty stable Wi-Fi connection and a quality computer, while they were stuck competing against other needing families for a hotspot or a laptop. If education is highly valued, it should not be barred by the access to technology. If the world wants to raise the next generation to change the world, why not give everyone the same chance at receiving the idealistic education they deserve? If technology is the new normal, why not help out students that cannot receive that normal by themselves or with the help of a multitude of family members?
