A Proposal: On Ymphian Education

[Yanamar]

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Education on the Isle:
A study of formal & informal education of the Population of Ymph
[tface=callig]Researched and written by: Jemorias Forcest
Scribe of Mistlocke and researcher of the sentient condition

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[SIZE="3"]As a citizen of Mistlocke, I have fully engaged within the town and sought to understand the culture and its people. However, as a town populated heavily by those who have not grown up in this area and bring with them their own unique cultures and histories, this has proven a daunting task. Foremost in my exploration of the isle has been the means and importance of education of its people; youth and adult alike.
In this brief article I hope to engage with my observations of the methodology of education within the isle in terms of formal and informal education. I will also define what I mean by both terms and propose what I believe may be an aspect of a solution to what I see as limitations and imperfections of Ymphian education.

To begin, I will provide you with an overview of my own educational history in the hopes of defining and setting the backdrop for my position on this subject. I will keep this as brief as I may, and cover only the most relevant and direct examples.
Living in a working community within Waterdeep, my informal education was initially one of guarding one's self and keeping yourself safe. This was especially the case considering that I am a female, and my mother was a fearful sort. So I was often sheltered and kept from exploring my surroundings, taught specifically silence and complacency and caring for others. I was instructed in the arts of cleaning, mending, and the like, though few of these skills have stayed with me in any notable fashion, and my formal education was initially nonexistent. My father managed to collect scraps of knowledge, and 'misplaced' tomes and scrolls-- which I eagerly took in from a very young age; books on any subject were of interest to me. I had taught myself to read, as both of my parents were unable to do so and the books were only brought into the home as a gesture of higher society than we were alloted. My parents noted my thirst for knowledge and worked to send me to the Watchful Order in order to be trained in magic.
When I passed the entrance exams at the age of seven, I was given a position as student of the arcane arts and was quickly provided a job to organize books and files for the school in order to pay my way through the school. Eventually I found myself as a highly ranked student, as well as scribe to some of the most influential adults within the school. And once I graduated, I stayed with the school, continuing my studies and job as scribe, but so too was I given the task of tending to the very youngest students who ranged in age from four to ten years of age.
I also earned for myself a year of study at Candlekeep after being gifted a book on rare and old magical theories, conjecture, and philosophy. I read this book, and then used it to gain entrance into the Library and spent a year reading and living amongst the monks. I spoke often with them and learned much from their views. It was here, too, that I learned of Deneir.

It was on the return journey home that I found myself set upon the grounds of Ymph.

In short:

• I define formal education as that education taking place within an institution of learning, such as my experiences with Watchful Order, and within Candlekeep.
• Informal education is anything learned or taught outside of these confines; this includes ideas and values taught by culture, society and family.
• It is this education that is of most value to the general populace and begins in the mother's lap. It is the parents, family, which inculcate good manners and make responsible citizens out of their children. It is the first school of the children, but the formal education starts from the school, where they learn how to behave and understand what is happening around them.

Upon finding myself in Mistlocke I immediately took to exploring the people within, taking the opportunity to engage with its culture which seemed to be a great conjoining of many cultures. This was something caused simply by the great many backgrounds that make up the populace. In most areas there is some common thread of history and education that unifies a town or city-- that helps define a people.
Therefore, I was not surprised to see the variance within Mistlocke and its surrounding areas, in fact I delighted in the opportunities I felt could be provided to myself and the general populace. However, instead, I was surprised to see that there was no formal educational experience provided to its youth or newcomers and that this variance was not being taken advantage of.

The only education of note that I have been made aware of is that knowledge to be gained within a guild, group or faction in the area. Typically this knowledge is only afforded to its members and it otherwise removed from popular discourse.
This fosters a great deal of internalized knowledge bases and is usually highly specialized in nature. On a very modular level, this encourages exactly what I believe general formal education to be useful for within groups; regulating codes of behavior and understanding of their world.
I have found references to a one Ernestine Helthor in written documents, and some word-of-mouth instances within conversation. She appeared to be the only notable champion of education within the recalled history of those residing upon Ymph. For those unaware of who she was, madame Helthor ran the Memorial Orphanage and had attempted to effect the societies in which she lived for the establishment of education. However, her actions seemed to have had little lasting or tangible difference on how education has been treated in this area. More historical research must be made in this area, and anyone with information on this woman, her history and actions is encouraged to contact the author of this book
Informal education within the isle exists much as it has for eons in the rest of the world; the family provides education in the context of professional skills, religion and societal understanding. And those who are natives to the area exist in a rather homogenous culture or farmers and craftsmen. However, the portal in the Zigguraut provides an inward flux of people who have been formally and informally educated in nearly infinite different ways.

This provides this community with unique challenges. Because unlike the merchant and trades quarters of large cities who can expect people to move in and out with the tides and their supplies, many people who end up on the isles claim a place to settle and live. This means that special consideration for educating people on the customs, history, and ways of Ymph is of great importance.

Therefore, I propose the following;
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• A course of study (written and spoken) put together by a comity of residents of the various areas around the isle on its history and cultural practices.
• Opportunities for people of different backgrounds to write their own courses in various topics and fields of study that are peer-reviewed in order to ensure quality and accuracy.
• All within the confines of a public college with the goals of self-improvement and the betterment of society.

I believe that open general education to both youths and adults within Mistlocke will provide the opportunity to ensure a productive future[1], opens new vistas[2], aids in decision making[3], bolsters confidence[4], and-- most important to the points made in this article-- education makes for a better citizen. It is education that opens our mind and expands our horizons, which plays a crucial role in shaping us to be good and responsible citizens. Education helps us to learn about our culture and our history, and subsequently imbibe those values to become better people. An educated person with self-confidence and precise moves knows how to transform the world. Education provides the ladder for achieving success in life and enables us to utilize skills and caliber in a constructive way. Therefore, it’s the prime responsibility of an individual to get educated and live a prosperous life while being a responsible citizen. However, government and civil societies are in the position to make the process of education simple by providing basic facilities and the opportunities of skilled and knowledgeable people to provide this education.

• [1]Attaining good and higher education promises a good future as education provides a good character to a person. Good education enables one to make best use of one’s skills and talent and helps in fetching the most competitive jobs. Importance of education can be realized in the height achieved by great and famous personalities in different fields of education.
• [2] The magnitude of education lies in its ability to broaden the mental scope and open new vistas that are inaccessible otherwise. It enables one to understand different dimensions of a particular point-of-view, which may limit an uneducated individual. It helps in making a person tolerant and humble, and at the same time removes the darkness of ignorance. This is the ultimate goal of education.
• [3]Education broadens the framework of the mind and enables us to take the right decisions at right times. In every sphere of life, we are supposed to take right decisions that might be very tough and challenging. Education gives us the understanding of choosing the right over wrong and thereby preventing grave losses.
• [4]Self-belief is the most important trait in making a good sentient being and education helps in augmenting the self-confidence, fostering positive outlook and allowing us to rely on ourselves.

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