Most definitions and descriptions of education tend to have a relative theme which is ‘to acquire knowledge’. I know a few people who are highly educated but have a difficult time applying that knowledge to their personal or professional lives. To me education is knowledge and learning is application. Would I consider myself to be educated? Well the student loans I pay on every month could say that! All kidding aside though, I would say that I am fairly educated and I do what I can to apply that knowledge to various aspects of my life. I had an undergraduate professor say one day, “When people call themselves an expert in something they are essentially communicating that they are done learning whatever it is that they are an expert at”. That statement has always stuck with me.
I like the quote, Tori. For me, I've always felt there needs to be better education about being educated. We pressure kids to immediately enroll in college right after graduation, despite the fact that many of them are far from ready to choose a life path. The result is that there are a lot of students out there who had to "just pick something"....it's a pretty expensive endeavor to gain that piece of paper that basically just says "I spent 4 years proving I can do what I'm told, and stick with something", and yet that is what many students wind up with. Aside from focused professions like engineering, education, law, or accounting, I know of more people who made significant career changes 10+ years out of college, than who stuck with "underwater basket weaving". It is a wise individual who find ways to apply the principles of their education regardless of how they may be earning a paycheck....otherwise education is nothing more than wasted job training as soon as they switch tracks.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I cross paths with so many students that are right out of high school (traditional) that do well in my class because they are still used to doing what the teacher wants. That's all fine and dandy for part of it, yes I do have a structured, detailed course. However, they are significantly missing the application component. When I ask them, "how can you apply this theory of motivation to your personal life?" I generally get the response of "I don't know". Not because they actually don't know, given some time to contemplate they may actually come up with a solid connection. However, it's the act of application and connection that I find their lacking in. The nontraditional students (25+ years old) can connect until the cows come home (so to speak), the academic rigor and demands are what they struggle most with (in the beginning anyways).
DeleteI wonder what we might consider the difference is between an education and being educated. I would guess that one would become educated by hiking the Appalachian Trail, for example. What kind of education is this?
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