Musings on An Education

This weekend I saw the film An Education by director Lone Scherfig (thank you Rose for the recommendation!). This film really moved me. I loved it and highly recommend it- but this is not a review, as I don’t wish to give anything away about the film (just go see it!). What I want to do, however, is discuss the key question that encapsulates the movie- which, for me, is:

What constitutes an education?

Is it schooling, textbooks and exams? The gathering of information in one’s mind with the wistful hope that one day you will put that information and knowledge to good use?

Or is the ultimate education gained through experiences? Meeting people, leading an exciting life, traveling… living.

I suppose, for me, it was a combination of the two. Even though I am no longer at university, I still believe that my education continues. Yes, I studied English literature, Latin and French- Science and Math (not so good at the last two) and for the most part enjoyed my ‘classroom education’. But it has largely been through my travels and meeting interesting people that I have gained the biggest education- about myself- about life.

Living in Paris, of course, played a massive part in this. The culture, the fashion, the people the champagne (!) the lack of inhibition… That experience and those feelings are carried with me every single day of my life.

And yet while I appreciate all of the cosmopolitan moments in my life- past, present and (hopefully) future, I don’t think I could appreciate them fully without the levelheadedness that I learned in the classroom setting (after all, without dark, how can one appreciate the light?)

Yes, for me it has very much so been a delicate balance of the two…


So… I would love to know... what has constituted as an education in your life?


Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard are pictured above in a scene from An Education.