In the online excerpt of the Buccaneer Scholar by James Bach, there is a clear emphasis on the importance of education and how its significance can influence a person’s life for the better. Bach, who works at Apple and is apparently unhindered by the fact that he was a high school dropout, tries to encourage a group of at-risk kids about the fact that there are alternatives to getting a meaningful learning experience. Bach exclaims that, “Education is important. [However] school is not. I didn’t need school. Neither do you” (1). The statement not only surprised the kids, but also created a sense of uneasiness between Bach and the teacher, with the latter labeling his speech as dangerous.

I believe that Bach dismissed the teacher’s comments about his speech mainly due to the fact that he wanted to create a sense of justice for the kids being that going to school and following the institutionalized principles set in place doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. Additionally, I believe that Bach is presumably going by the gesture that everyone has a different way of learning and understanding things and that merely taking tests and accepting a teacher’s word for a specific subject matter is not exactly getting an education. He later reinforces this belief later on in the excerpt by stating that, “No one on earth has a choice about whether or not to be educated. But we do have a choice about what form that education will take. It’s a life’s work” (1). As such, getting an education is determinant upon what we aspire to learn rather than what we are forced to know.

In Kanye West’s response to getting an education, there are obvious distinctions that are apparent in contrast with Bach’s ideology. Before performing at a concert for the Santa Monica High School, Kanye discusses the fact that it is possible to be successful without going to college. However, he later states that, “Life is hard. Take advantage of your opportunities” (Moss). As such, this implies that it is a better option to go to school and to prioritize the opportunities at hand. In spite of this, both Bach and Kanye do have one particular overlapping stance in regards to getting an education and that is the fact that they were both motivated to learn as much as possible on their own rather than focusing on school.