“Claiming and Education,

the essay “Claiming and Education,” argues that education entails being responsible for oneself. While she delivered this at the commencement of a women’s college and therefore pitched her comments to women students, her message is relevant for all students: take yourself seriously and demand that your teachers do so as well; don’t passively “receive” ideas but critically evaluate them; accept that learning is hard work and, instead of looking for easy ways out, accept that challenge; have high expectations for yourself, and meet those expectations. While this essay was written in the late 1970s, its arguments are certainly worth considering today.