Education Vs Teaching – What is the difference?

In this article, we explore these differences and how both play a role in moulding our children’s learning experience.

“A child educated only at school is an uneducated child” – George Santayana 1863 – 1952, philosopher and Harvard Professor.  Ponder that for a while.

What about this one – attributed to Albert Einstein (who?) but in fact, its true origins are unknown.  “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school”.

These are rather deep statements, and the reason I say this is as follows. I find that many parents often think that if their child is not actively working i.e. reading or writing or learning things off by heart, then they cannot possibly be learning.  We ourselves are products of a schooling system that was one size fits all.  Everybody sat in a classroom, which had been arranged neatly in rows, and the teacher Presented material, and we Practiced the material until it was Perfect. 

There is so much more to an education than what a child is taught in the classroom or the space inside your home that you have dedicated to home schooling.  The opportunities for an education are endless and present themselves on a daily basis. An education is something whereby a child is offered far more than only content and material.  An education is also about common sense (although I don’t know why it’s called common sense.  If it was indeed common, more people would have it). 

Having self-awareness and awareness of others, being kind to one another.  Having empathy, compassion and respect – that’s an education. 

Teaching is the imparting of facts, the transference of subject matter from a teacher to a student after which the student is tested to see how well the teacher delivered the subject matter and whether the student retained it.  

We need to break out of this traditional mould and review what we value more – our kids simply being taught, or the education they receive.  Both have their place, indeed, but I’ll leave you with one more quote from the already-mentioned Mr. Einstein.  “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think”.

Disclaimer – The views expressed are that of the author C. Wickham

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