Free Speech Essay
The freedom of speech, enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution, is a foundational
American right. Nowhere is that right more important than on our college campuses, where the free
flow of ideas and the clash of opposing views advance knowledge and promote human progress. It is
on our college campuses, however, where some of the most severe violations of free speech occur and
where students are regularly censored simply because their expression might offend others. Education
gives us knowledge of the world and changes it into something better. It develops in
us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on different
things in life. People debate over the subject of whether education is the only thing that gives
knowledge. High school is a time for teens to learn valuable skills for life from peers and
professionals. School days fill time with fun and informational activities and prepare teens for the world of
work. There are many reasons a high school education is essential, but most of all, it is a means to
achieve long-term goals and feel a sense of pride. The first thing that strikes me
about education is knowledge gain. Education gives us knowledge of the world and
changes it into something better. Some say education is gaining information about the
surrounding world, while the inside is very different. They are right. But then again,
information cannot be converted into knowledge without education. Education makes us capable of
interpreting things, among other things. It is not just about lessons in textbooks. It is about the lessons
of life. High school can be a very tumultuous time for young people. It’s those critical four years before
entering college or the workforce. It’s also a time when kids are becoming young adults, learning about
friendships and relationships, coming into their personalities, and discovering who they are.
High school is perhaps the most critical time in kids’ lives because they are making friendships that
can last a lifetime, learning more advanced material, and preparing
themselves to go out into the real world. Freedom of Speech means that someone's right to say
something is protected within certain limits. Over the past year or two, issues surrounding the exercise
of free speech and expression have come to the forefront at colleges around the country. The standard
narrative about free speech issues that we so often read goes something like this: today’s college
students -- overprotected and coddled by parents, poorly educated in high school, and exposed to
primarily left-leaning faculty -- have become soft “snowflakes” who are easily offended by mere words
and the slightest of insults, unable or unwilling to tolerate opinions that veer away from some
politically correct orthodoxy and unable to engage in hard-hitting debate. People...
