Importance of Education

Ever since Francie Nolan was a baby, her mother read her one page of the Bible and one page of Shakespeare. This all began with her grandmother’s advice to her mother to help her get her children out of poverty: “Every day you must read one page from some good book to your child. Every day this must be until the child learns to read. Then she must read every day, I know this is the secret.” For Francie Nolan and her family, literacy and education are major priorities. Katie, Francie’s mother, came from a poor immigrant family with parents that did not know how to read or write. Coming from this background, Katie was determined to have her children escape poverty through education. Even when the Nolan’s were struggling financially and unable to eat, Katie would not let her children quit school to work for the family. This was common for many families in their situation but she was not willing to sacrifice their education and future. Katie finds that it isn’t necessarily about wealth but quality of life and presence in the world. She wonders what the difference is between two women in her neighborhood. One is Mrs. McGarrity, a wealthy woman but her children are greedy and rude to the other children. The other is a schoolteacher, Miss Jackson, who works for charity and is poor but has a way about her that makes everyone feel well again no matter what. Katie finally finds what distinguishes the two women, “It was education that made the difference! Education would pull them out of the grime and dirt.”