What are the characteristics of an educated person?
What is education?
Education is not about certificates and degrees - education is about how a person relates to life. As Greek philosopher Epictetus said: "Only the educated are free."
Education is the opposite of indoctrination. Indoctrination tells people what to think, tells people what the "truth" is, closes minds to critical thought.
Education, on the other hand, opens the mind, encourages a search for truth and develops a mind that can engage critically with many different ideas.
Education also is not simply about "intellectual" pursuits. The old Roman dictum of Mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a sound body) is still a characteristic of a good education.
Education is about learning, not teaching. As Galileo Galilei said, "You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself."
The word "education" itself refers to "bringing out" or "bringing forth what is within" from the Latin "e-ducere".
How are we educated?
This, in a way, is the nub of the question about what characteristics an educated person has. Too often we think of education as something we "get" at school and university. It is something a teacher drills into us.
As Mortimer J. Adler has written: "Everyone knows, or certainly should know, that indoctrination is not genuine teaching and that the results of indoctrination are the very opposite of genuine learning. Yet, as a matter of fact, much that goes on in the classrooms of our schools is nothing but indoctrination."
Adler posits three causes of this situation:
- That education is seen as a productive, not collaborative activity. The certificate or degree at the end of the course is seen as a "product" of what the "teacher" does. Learning, though, takes place in the learner, and can take place independently of any teacher. Indeed, most learning occurs in that way.
- Related to the first point is that people suppose that what students learn, whether in a didactic or a discovery-based approach, is somehow the result of what the teacher, and not the learner, does. Students will learn, whatever the teacher does, but it might not be what the teacher thinks they learn.
- We often don't distinguish between real knowledge and opinion, or what Adler terms the "impressions made on and retained by the memory from the development of understanding in the mind". This results in the learning of facts but not the development of knowledge or wisdom.
Adler concludes: "The conception of the teacher as one who has knowledge of information that he or she transmits to students as passive recipients of it violates the nature of teaching as a cooperative art. It assumes that genuine learning can occur simply by instruction, without acts of thinking and understanding that involve discovery by the minds of students."
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Are study skills important for success in school? Is success in school essential for success in life? And where does thinking come into all of this? If you spend too much time thinking about the material but...
So what are the characteristics of an educated person?
An educated person (reminder - an educated person might not have a college degree or even have attended school!) would be one who searches for excellence, one who does not take things for granted, one who is concerned about people and things around him or her.
As philosopher Christopher Phillips (of Socrates Cafe fame) has written in his excellent and entertaining book Six Questions of Socrates (W.W. Norton & Co, 2004):
"I think an excellent individual and an excellent civilization do share certain attributes: they are forward-looking. They are cognizant of how their actions impact others, not just today, but in coming generations, and strive to act in ways that will enhance the lives of individuals and societies not just of today, but also of the future - and not just the next one or two or five generations, but the next hundred and thousand and ten thousand generations."
Phillips goes on:
"To this end, at minimum, they forever strive to diminish, rather than increase, those types of human suffering born of a lack of food, shelter, clothing, education, and self-determination, not just within its national bounds, but, as much as possible, globally as well. They not only seek to liberate people from death and terror and oppression, but they also go the next step, and aim to give everyone the opportunity to discover and develop their unique intellectual and physical, spiritual and moral, aesthetic and cultural potentials."
To these ends an educated person in my opinion, would be a person who at least:
- has a deep and genuine empathy, striving to understand others, with the ability to withhold their own judgement until they are sure that they do understand;
- is sensitive to the psychological, physical, moral and cultural milieu in which they find themselves, showing respect and caring at all times;
- has a clear understanding of his or her own values, wants and preferences without wishing to impose these on others;
- is independent, within the constraints of collaborative living, in action and thought, taking responsibility for the health and well-being of their body and their mind;
- understands the connectedness of everything in the world, and even in the universe, and so acts responsibly in everything they do - the slogan "think globally, act locally" applies here;
- is congruent, meaning that the person will be comfortable in their own skin, able to acknowledge their own feelings and the feelings of others without condescension.
Clearly these are characteristics that can be learned in formal education but do need to be developed in such a process.
An educated person, in other words, is one for whom being is more important than knowing or having .
Copyright Notice
The text and all images on this page, unless otherwise indicated, are by Tony McGregor who hereby asserts his copyright on the material. Should you wish to use any of the text or images feel free to do so with proper attribution and, if possible, a link back to this page. Thank you.
© Tony McGregor 2010
This Hub was last updated on August 16, 2011
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All About TeachersFollow (18)Comments 149 comments
Another brilliant hub Tony. I recently came across a hub with a youtube link about a fascinating experiment in India. Hole in the wall computers were made available in slum areas and the kids managed to teach themseves English, work out how to use the computer, use google and answer some very challenging questions. the experiment has been replicated in the West and one important factor was the chilren collaborating as they hung round the computer. Educationists have got it so wrong by thinking each learner needs a personal computer. It is isolating and discourages co-operation and actually inhibits learning. If I track down the link I will post it to you.
I always thought that the main question is not "to be or not to be?" but "to be and how to be?" ...
Great blog! Thank you.
Interesting subject... I work in an area where MBA's PHD's are considered essential. In some cases it is reflected in the man in some cases not. At the end of the day no matter the title we are all the same in God's eyes.
Blessings and Hugs
Tony, this is really an insightful profile of an educated person. You are, for sure, such a person, and most of the hubbers on HubPages are.
These suggestions regarding education is in favor of our current Outcomes Base Education model, which proved to be not successful. Syllabuses have to be reviewed and improved. It is happening at the moment, I know. We are waiting in anticipation to the improved model, though we lost many possible leaders during the past ten years, since OBE was implemented.
Some wise man’s quote: “Education is what is left after you have forgotten everything you have learned.”
Laat dit goed gaan met jou en jou geliefdes daar in Pretoria. Hugs and peace!
Tony! Sir, what an amazingly deep process of thought. You took me places and then I made sense of them, my most valuable knowledge is people and how to treat them, like and better than self. It has taken me well, if only the world could think about life that way, what would no longer exist? 50
I love your first sentence " Education is not about certificates and degrees - education is about how a person relates to life".
Yes, Loving life, making the best of it, seeing the joy in each day, empathy for others, knowing how to deal with all the negativity...on and on.
I wish that kind of education on every living person! Too bad it isn't taught in schools and we have to be fortunate to find it ourselves or have a great role model!
Your Hubs are wonderful examples of an educated person! Voted up and awesome!
Its always good to remember that the definition of education is fungible. Some of the smartest people I know had 'Experience' but not 'Education'. And I know some supposedly 'Educated' people who are so empty-headed, I wonder how they ever graduated.
Lincoln had no schooling. Einstein was a 'C' student in school. They both taught themselves to be men with great minds because of their desire to be more than they were.
Intelligence is about what we've learned, our enthusiasm about learning and how we apply what we've learned.
Robwrite is correct, having the desire for knowledge is the key in whatever area one is interested in, hubpages being a perfect example. I choose to listen to talk back radio during my working hours because it educates me in every facet of everyday life. At a BBQ i can converse with 'anyone' about current affairs with confidence. Being fit and healthy is also a vital ingredient in relation to an active mind. Great hub and right on the money, or write on the money.
Interesting topic. I do believe education should not be gain under indoctrination because it is limiting creativity and as the result, make people lazy. But somehow, school today, mostly for the young, keep failed to challenging their students to educate themselves rather than only accepting what their teacher give them. And at home, parents not able to bear critic and different opinion from their children about how they handle everything in their life. Where we do it wrong, I am not really sure. But unless by sharing our concern and our understanding we can put awareness in other people minds and hopefully something good will come from it. Just like what you did by writing this hub.
Great hub, Sir. ;)
Interesting take, not literal, but philosophical. Sounds like your are describing the self-actualized man. Lofty goals for us all.
I saw the "tony" post so I knew it would be "educational"! I have no idea how much institutionalized education that 50 Caliber has but he's one of the smartest people I've ever met. Tony too!
Thank you Tony for such a great hub.
I was fortunate enough to have a teacher (that I adored and always tried to emulate) who believed and applied Socrates’ method of teaching and often said “children are fresh water springs and the adults need to free the leaves that obstruct the path and help them become the rivers they are meant to be”. I totally agree with that.
Tonymac, curiosity and love of learning are virtues that can be developed, and can enhance even an indoctrination session! There is a need to know facts and memorize lists, but understanding the reason and enjoying the process takes us to a different level. A person who is curious and loves to learn will acquire a lot of facts along the way, and a good educator will inspire and facilitate that process. As Martie said above, HubPages is a community of learners and educators. Thanks for yet another thought provoking hub, tony. Best regards.
This is a really good article and I agree with Robwrite. I also want to add that we are all intelligent in our own way. This is why I do not agree with our current system of education. While one student might excel in math another might be better suited to the arts or maybe even building things such as an auto mechanic does. Why does our current educational system not encourage students to learn what they have an interest or an affinity to? Also, I would like to point out that the system fails students because they do not prepare them for the real world. Kids do not know how to handle a check book, credit cards, basic parenting skills and many kids today do not have a work ethic. I wish I had been better prepared to handle credit cards and other important aspects of being an adult and I might not be in debt today. I believe kids feel an entitlement that did not exist when I graduated from college. Thanks for a great hub.
Tony! This is excellent beyond words. I voted it up and all the fitting adjectives, though they don't cover the standard of this writing sufficiently, IMHO!
So tragic to see people so caught up in the schooling, degree, certification thing that they can't see the value of their own real learning & excelling potentials, much less that of others! It saddens me when someone feels less-than because of modest "education" in the formal sense. It may be just as sad when such a person becomes successful in business and attempts to lord it over those who have achieved some "educational' distinction. In neither case is it really a factor. It's often said that education begins after one leaves halls of "education" & I believe it's so, though it needn't have been, if schools were doing what they should, which it bringing out the individual fountains of creatitivity and intelligence in the students.
My 4th grade teacher, Miss Cartarphen, whom I've mentioned more than once, was such an excellent and creative English grammar teacher (and some subjects do require learning what is already established knowledge in order to be able to think and create more independently!). She had an uncanny ability to INSTILL that dry subject into her students and cause us to appreciate it in such a way that we simply learned to use it almost painlessly! BUT - she lacked the educational credentials and was ultimately fired from the faculty even though she had taught some of the people on the school board who fired her! Guess they missed her lessons in wisdom.
Such excellent comments, too. Petra -that is beautiful!!
Steve - that's it!! (Or a self-actualized woman which any self-actualized man will be the first to acknowledge! ;-> hehe) I see you are a student of Maslow. :-)
I'm so impressed with this hub in particular Tony, (you've been busy recently). I've long since felt that much of the education that young people get at school is simply a training (indoctrination) given in order to maintain the status quo, and that it's sheer insolence, and an insult to democracy that the World establishment has decided to thrust young people into debt to achieve that end.
Love and peace and enlightenment Tony; you truly are a gentleman and a scholar.
I have two master degrees, am working on a third, and have finished the coursework but not yet defended my dissertation for my doctorate. I tell people all the time that I'm the dumbest smart person they'll ever meet! :-)
As an illiterate, uneducated person, it shall take me some time to comprehend this.:-)
Great hub Tony. Education is a must these days.What one does with it is the important factor. I read that Ted Bundy was brilliant, yet he was a psychopath who murdered women.Common sense is above all in my opinion. Thank you. You always write the best hubs.
Cheers
I love this Hub! So much truth exposed and explicated. To me, to be educated is to seek Truth. I am an autodidact.
An awesome hub, Tony.
I have recently met a colleague from South Africa shared with me the education in SA, and it saddened me to know how the education system in SA has deteriorated. Care to write a hub on that ? It will be an eye-opening write-up for many of us from outside SA.
Rakuba - indeed! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Love and peace
Tony
Sean - thanks so much for your kind words. I would love to see that link as it sounds really interesting and up my street, as it were!
I have a great musician friend who is also a teacher who at the beginning of an academic year lets the youngsters loose in a room with a bunch of robust instruments and tells them to get on with it! No guidance, no rules, no expectations, just the awakening of fun and the desire to explore gets them going. They find out what knowledge they need to progress and that's where he steps in with the necessary guidance. Discovery learning at its best!
Thanks again
Love and peace
Tony
Tony, you hit the ball out of the park with this one and it was very timely for me.
Tomorrow is Election Day in the U.S. and I have found that the issue of intellect versus emotion is playing a large part. The Tea Party values lack of scholarship, i.e., dumbing down is something to be applauded. I have observed that their platforms rely on putting down anyone who wishes to consider the gray areas. To them, politics is black and white, i.e., to know is to judge.
Thus, I read your article with a heightened sensibility. In fact, I was holding my breath, worried that what I believed true about education was an illusion. Were we truly meant to make rash decisions and to uplift our own,i.e., to claim America for Americans? In the end, I felt quite relieved.
Particularly after reading, "an educated person... has a clear understanding of his or her own values, wants and preferences without wishing to impose these on others..."
I will always pick an educated politician over one who is uneducated. It is a myth that Abe Lincoln was uneducated and that Einstein earned Cs. These inaccuracies feed the masses, who wish it were true and therefore make it true by word of mouth. Checking references invalidates their arguments... but doesn't stop the gossip.
Thanks, Barbara
Actually, its not a myth about Lincoln and Einstein. Lincoln had no formal education. He was home schooled. And Einstein was such a poor student in school that he couldn't get a job in the field of science when he graduated and so ended up working as a patten clerk. (Which is where he was working when he developed the Theory of Relativity.)
critical thinking. Actually, these courses do exist at universites in the form of liberal arts or liberal studies degrees. I learned a lot although still kept a lot of my brain towards business. I think it is great to learn more & more each day, week or month in various subjects to be a well-rounded person.
You have blown me away with these truths. I have known a lot of educated idiots. They have many degrees behind their name and couldn't write a complete sentence if their life depended on it. I have also met people that have not even finished high school that are so full of knowledge that it is scary. To me, education is self learning and experience. After all, college doesn't do some sort of surgery on the brain. They only guide you to learn on your own. Excellent hub.
This is excellent, and so refreshing. I worked in the school system for seven years, and am now on Sabbatical. We never had these kind of discussions. Teachers were supposed to the dispensers of knowledge, and the kids were supposed to "listen." Things like empathy, awareness of culture were never recognized.
I love your references to Adler, and the great quotes. This is truly a quality piece of writing, and definitely makes me think. Wonderful!
it is very interesting topic, by the way i have an interesting website for education.that is www.educationuday.blogspot.com. it's explain you all type of education loans and education system in UK,US,germany, britain, france, dubai, australia and all over world.
Education leads to the knowlege that independence is never the end result;)
I liked your focus on others, and not insulting other people that disagree with you, etc. Very interesting hub. Its a fine line to teach others what is best, without trying to teach them what is best (all at the same time lol) because we all want to help our kids, for instance. I think I got the basic gist of what you were trying to say though. A lot of philosophy comes into play when we are discussing all of these things, and I saw you used some quotes from philosophers. On the one hand, there is basic knowledge of facts that you can know, then there is wisdom which seems to be a whole different thing. Great and thought provoking!
Mr Happy - super comment, thank you!
Love and peace
Tony
Quill - thanks for your wise words, The level of education is not necessarily reflected in the degrees. Not that they are unimportant, though!
Love and peace
Tony
Martie - thanks for the comment. I really do appreciate your kind words.
I tried in this article not to link education to any particular methodology or philosophy and OBE was not in my mind while I wrote it! I think you are right though, in that OBE is an attempt, perhaps not too successful, for various reasons, to make schooling more rounded. It has the failing of all syllabuses - they tend to be focussed on passing exams, not learning, and that is the tragedy (and why I am not too big a fan of compulsory education!). Too often schooling stifles a child's natural curiosity and eagerness to explore. Because the teacher has to get through a certain amount of learning material in a certain time naturally creativethings like "day-dreaming" have to be stopped. It's sad.
Thanks again for the thoughtful comment.
Love and peace
Tony
50 - thank you so much for your comment and I'm very glad you enjoyed going those places with me!
Love and peace
Tony
Scribenet - thanks for the warm and kind words. I really appreciate that you took the time to visit and comment - and give me such a wonderful compliment. Now I have to try to live up to it! LOL!
Thanks again, kind lady.
Love and peace
Tony
Rob - I totally agree. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. And thanks for the education - I had to look up what "fungible" meant and so have added to my little stock of knowledge. Thanks for that also.
Love and peace
Tony
Terry - thanks so much for a great comment. Here's hoping about the money, LOL!
Love and peace
Tony
Freya - thanks so much. I think you are right that it is to do with raising awareness and not dampening the natural curiosity of young people. And maybe us older folks need to be more secure and not threatened when younger people are critical and original.
Love and peace
Tony
Steve - thanks for stopping by and commenting. Much appreciated.
Love and peace
Tony
Micky - you are a wonderful friend. Thanks for stopping by and leaving another of your inimitable comments!
Love and peace
Tony
Petra - I just love that quote from your teacher! It is truly wonderful. The "teacher's" role is to remove the obstacles to learning that are scattered in the path of the learner. Wonderful stuff indeed!
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a great comment.
Love and peace
Tony
Kim - I really agree with you on the importance of curiosity. I fear that the natural curiosity of children is often suppressed by the schooling system. And yes, HubPages is a wonderful place to learn - I have certainly learned a great deal since I started to write here from all sorts of people, to whom I am grateful!
Thanks again for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
Hey, Tony. I saw your comment that Hubpages is a great place to learn and considering I saw you mentioning the fact that you are an educator I thought I would promote another website which helped me in school in terms of learning. Sparknotes.com (http://www.sparknotes.com/) is a great site, especially for kids I would say. I am not sure how or if it would help kids from other countries but for an English speaking student, from a western country, I think Sparknotes is a great place to learn and share ideas about your particular studies.
All the best!
PS I spent years on this website talking metaphysics ... ages ago though.
Interesting. It seems to me that many of our schools and universities are becoming mere trade schools (of which, of course, I was a student). Getting a skill, gaining the facts needed to obtain gainful employment is of course critical, but often it seems an education isn't part of the agenda. You are right though, a person who is dedicated to ongoing learning, seeking truth and so forth will become (or is) educated. This is an important topic!
Eventsyoudesign - you hit the nail on the head, I think. The cookie-cutter approach is so unhelpful. And the lack of life skills learning is also, as you point out, a definite lack.
Thanks for making such a thoughtful comment.
Love and peace
Tony
Nellieanna - I am blown away by your kind words! Thank you so much. And thank you too for the wonderful addition to this discussion. I appreciate it all so very much.
Your teacher Miss Cartarphen must have been a truly wonderful person, and so typical that the authorities give more weight in their decision making to the pieces of paper than to the actual performance! Tragic, really.
Thanks again
Love and peace
Tony
Amillar - thank you for your great comment and kind words! I am busy writing at the moment - seems I have hit a creative vein and I'm pressing on. Quite a few new Hubs coming up! I agree that much of what passes for education these days has more to do with social control than real growth and learning.
Thanks again, good friend.
Love and peace
Tony
Lori - thanks for the comment. "Dumbest smart person!" LOL I like that!
Thanks again for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
My brother Dimitris - you, illiterate? I think you're fishing for compliments, aren't you? LOL!
Well, you'll not get any from, I'm fresh out and waiting for new stock!
Kidding - I'll give you any compliment you like, and for starters let me say I think you are a scholar and a gentleman. And I don't say that to just anyone!
Love and peace
Tony
Ruby - I agree, an education is a must. Just not sure that we always have the best way of getting an education!
Thanks so much for your kind words - they are much appreciated.
Love and peace
Tony
Sir James - thanks for the visit and the great comment. I really appreciate your kind words.
Love and peace
Tony
Ingenira - education for most in South Africa was never very good. The expensive private schools have always been good but beyond the financial reach of most.
I think for the majority of blacks the standard of education has actually risen in recent years, but there are still too many problems, it's true.
I am busy with another Hub on education but hadn't thought to do one on the education system in South Africa as such, and I'm not sure I'm the best qualified person to do such a Hub. But I will think about it.
Thanks for coming by and sharing.
Love and peace
Tony
Barbara, my dear friend, your comment is wonderful! Thank you!
You have highlighted an important aspect of an educated person - the ability to deal with the grey areas, the ambiguities. Appreciating the nuances is definitely an attribute of an educated person.
Thanks for adding to the Hub so beautifully!
Love and peace
Tony
ftclick - critical thinking is very important for the individual and society. Learning need never stop!
Love and peace
Tony
Lisa - your comment blows me away! Thank you so much. I like your term "educated idiots" - I've met some of them also! It is true that learning, at least of the most meaningful and useful sort, is self-directed.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Love and peace
Tony
Prairieprincess - I am warmed by your lovely comment. Thank you. We live and grow by understanding ourselves and each other.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful comment.
Love and peace
Tony
Praveenu - thanks for the comment and especially for the link. I will go there soon to check it out.
Love and peace
Tony
Acer - thanks for the comment, my friend.
Love and peace
Tony
Oceansunsets - thanks for the comment. I think wisdom is a different thing and what makes all the rest worth while!
Thanks again for the thoughtful comment.
Love and peace
Tony
Mr Happy - thanks for stopping by and leaving such an interesting comment. I have seen Sparknotes before, but thanks for the link. I will visit again on your recommendation!
Love and peace
Tony
Christine - good to see you here! Thanks for the great comment, and I agree with your points.
Thanks for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
Hey Tony interesting take on what constitutes education. Mark Twain said he never let schooling get in the way of his education and I agree. If the process works, by all means use it and if it doesn't, don't let it slow you down.
The terms gentleman and scholar resonate together and as 1 Cor. 13 reveals, we can have all knowledge and understand all mysteries but without love we have nothing. We are all books, read of all men--may we have something worthwhile to say.
Thank you for a rousing discussion. =:)
Excellent article, Tony.
The mind is the most important thing. It's what separates us from lower life forms, and what enables us to reach ever-higher heights. The greatest tragedy occurs when the human mind is closed, and when genuine understanding and the rigors of skepticism, criticism, doubt and reason are forgone in favor of obedience, acquiescence, acceptance, blind devotion and emotional comfort.
True understanding is difficult. The quest for it pushes our limits, makes us uncomfortable, forces us to question ourselves and others. The easy way out is to acquiesce to what others have formulated for us. This is why political freedom and intellectual freedom go hand-in-hand. At the end of the day, you really can't have one without the other.
The quality of education one has, comes less from the number of schools one has been to, and more from the intensity of ones critical evaluation of ones own intellectual ability to deal with ones emotional reality to clearly see what best to do with it so one can develop as a thinking being who values a broad spectrum of cultur one may wish to contribut to more fully.
While some religious types may have enough education, it's amazing how many keep their minds closed from gaining a better undestanding of the real world so they can apply their education towards advancing rational thought in line with real humanistic values.
Thanks for another great hub!
How so very true; Education is Enlightenment. My dad used to always tell me two things: "The world can be harsh, it can take your money, your whole world can come tumbling down on you but it cannot take one thing from you ; your education, so I suggest you stay where you are safe. Study in Spanish is Estudios 'es-tu-dios" meaning is your god." and boy is he right but I like to say Education is key to liberation. . I've learned to take my abilities and use it to my advantage; everytime I fall down without a doubt I manage to get back up all because of my dad this is a great hub!
Winsome - thank you for the visit and the great comment! May we indeed have something to say!
Love and peace
Tony
Secularist - thank you for a wonderful contribution here! I agree with your comment completely!
Love and peace
Tony
Franto - thanks so much for stopping by and making such a great comment. I agree with you and am grateful for your insights.
Love and peace
Tony
NikiiLee - I love that - "meaning is your God!" That is so great. I will remember that. Thanks for coming by and leaving such a great comment.
Love and peace
Tony
TonyTony! I love that you wrote comments to everyone... eventually.
Lincoln and Einstein uneducated? As with politics, the rumor mill survives long after the truth surfaces; people believe what they choose to believe. I am willing to admit I am wrong when I am wrong, but in this case, well, dig deeper, I say.
On that note, mastodon bones have been discovered in my state! http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-11-ids-ice-age-sl
Hugs dear friend,
Barbara
Barbara - sorry it is taking me rather long to get around to answering comments. I am nursing a rather sick laptop trying to eke out its existence a little longer as I can't afford a new one, and I've got quite a lot of writing to do so I'm having to balance out these activities!
Interesting link about the mastodon. Will come back to that one!
Thanks for commenting and for your patience!
Love and peace
Tony
I would like to thank you for writing something such as this. I had my father read it and he loved this having him feel all happy for the rest of the day.
Tony, I loved Petra's comment. Your hub is very well written and has so many valid points. Education should be a "bringing forth" instead of indoctrination. I am reminded of Mr. Gradgrind in Dickens' novel "Hard Times."
I was fortunate to be a teacher of English and Humanities in high school and could encourage my students to pursue their knowledge of self.
I also, though, see a need for learning how to add and subtract, multiply and divide, write a complete sentence.
MPG1 - thanks for the kind words and I'm pleased that your father also enjoyed it. Thanks for showing it to him.
Love and peace
Tony
Mysterylady - thanks for the lovely comment. I really appreciate it. And certainly there are some things that need to be learned in order to cope with life at a fairly basic level, as you point out.
Love and peace
Tony
I like the way you think, you def have the characteristics of an educated person. Good to know you kind sir. Love and Peace :)
Oh Katie, you are too kind, really! But don't stop, I like it!
And it's very good to know you too, dear lady!
Love and peace
Tony
If I live to be anywhere close to your age, then I hope that I can at least be half as brilliant as you are, Sir. I truly appreciate this article.
Wesman - wow! Thank you kind sir for your wonderful words. I appreciate them very much indeed.
Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you found the Hub interesting.
Love and peace
Tony
Looks like I've had the works - indoctrination as a child, formal "education" and lessons from the hard knocks of life. I taught for a bit, hoping to inspire others to share my love of learning. Teaching was rewarding experience for those that are hungry to learn; a frustrating experience for those that don't care less! I don't want any more formal qualifications - I like the freedom to learn whatever I am interested in - I'd rather read a book than watch TV
Bailey - thanks for stopping by. I too would far rather read (or write) than watch TV! In fact I only watch the news really and the ocassional doccy.
Love and peace
Tony
Hi Tony - very insightful. If only our learning systems were tailored to bring out the best in the child and not superimpose what we think is best for him, how much better our educational efforts could be!
Thank you so much for the link.
Shalini - thank you very much. I appreciate your taking the time and leaving a thoughtful comment.
As for the link - it is indeed my pleasure! Your Hub is great.
Love and peace
Tony
Tony - I enjoyed this article even more than the last one of yours I just read. I am reminded of many years ago when I read a bit on Existentialism and Education. (Although the professor seemed very inauthentic the course's reading list was great.)
Peace,
Sembj
Sembj - thanks for stopping by here and leaving such a great comment. I appreciate it. Sounds like the prof knew his stuff but didn't do it!
Love and peace
Tony
tonymac,
"Only the educated are free."
"Everyone knows, or certainly should know, that indoctrination is not genuine teaching and that the results of indoctrination are the very opposite of genuine learning. Yet, as a matter of fact, much that goes on in the classrooms of our schools is nothing but indoctrination."
Brilliant. You hit the nail on the head with this hub, tony.
Unfortunately, society teaches us to absorb like a sponge what they throw at us, and parrot it back to others. Very few understand the difference between education and indoctrination.
A person should never stop learning. And the most crucial learning happens in the real world - outside the classroom. The older you get, the more you should be able to understand. If I only knew back then what I know now.....
Excellent hub, tony!
Fatfist - thanks so much for the very kind words which I sincerely appreciate.
I fully agree - when we stop learning we stop living!
Thanks for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
You brightened my way!
THANK YOU Tony!
Safak - and you brightened mine. Thanks very much.
Love and peace
Tony
Hi Tony, you make perfect sense from the very first phrase itself. I am completely overwhelmed by your views and I am certain I would never have been able to express my views on the same topic as clearly as you have, by even ten percent.
Congratulations on a great essay, and I look forward to more in the same lines. Cheers!
Quicksand - thanks for stopping by and making such a wonderful comment. I really appreciate your kind words, thank you.
Love and peace
Tony
"Only the educated are free" is ancient wisdom lost on our current dumbing down consumerism. The concepts of "enough" and 'too much' and self-denial have been lost even in the current socialist societies and definitely in the organized religion context. The financial security goal is reasonable but the allowance and pursuit of obscene wealth has corrupted global culture and civilization. It's agreed that indoctrination is a bane on society - particularly the terroristic; militaristic and oppressive variety. This was a very thought-provoking article. Thank you.
Gerry - thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment. I like your sentence: "...the allowance and pursuit of obscene wealth has corrupted global culture and civilization." I fully agree.
Thanks again for stopping by and for the kind words.
Love and peace
Tony
Great hub! Voted up and useful!
NJ - thanks for the kind words and for stopping by. I appreciate both very much.
Love and peace
Tony
Hola Tony!
You know many African kids were passed for their matriculation. well, many of them are hanging out in the township not sure why and how they were passed and their parents(some of them), have sent them back to school. These kids stopped schooling around April 2010. Then there was the World Cup; Strikes followed; school strikes followed where the kids were demanding a 25% before they even wrote any exams. By then, little time was left to study, then they wrote the exams, and about 85% to 90% were passed. Outcome-based education is worse than Bantu Education. Our children are more ignorant of many things and this has left parents wondering what is the use of education today- youth sees nothing yet, but it is now common knowledge that little learning is taking place and that the AFrican children are worse-off than unlike the Bantu Educated Africans. Why I say that, there is a lot of 'lack' in all sectors of private and government and society; there has been a lowering of educational standards, that even a degree, or a learning curve amongst the students is irrelevant to the present needs of contemporary South Africa. Come and visit the schools in Soweto and throughout Pretoria African townships, you'll see my point. That's my two cents. I will try and write about what I am commenting about in the very near future. Hola Gazi!
I enjoyed reading this, One thing came to mind when I was reading (and it's not all that "Earth-shattering" a comment here), and that was an incident when I was watching a School Committee meeting (for my own town); and one of the members did "a whole, big, speech" about the role of the schools and the School Committee in education. He referred, first, to how they (the School Committee) ought to keep in mind how some companies operate. (Ok.... I was waiting and not assuming what was coming would necessarily be offensive or ignorant.) This guy was doing his self-important bloviating (clearly seeing his own role as "huge"). Anyway, none of it was too bad until he said, "..only companies have products, likes cans of peas. In this case, the kids are our products." Maybe it was "just me" (as they say), but it struck me that this guy didn't see the education the schools were supposed to be offering as the "product" (and it REALLY irked me that he presumed to see MY children as the school's "cans of peas").
I wasn't offended at the "object reference" the guy used. People do that kind. What I found objectionable was that he seemed oblivious to whole concept that "his" schools were supposed to be "producing education" as those "cans of peas". In other words, the guy was too clueless to get his own analogy right. :/
Of course, this was the same School Committee for which one member had run on this slogan, "I'm there at the meetings, so you don't have to be." (!!!) LOL
Hola Ixwa!
Thnanks for your interesting, and rather sad, comment. I agree with you that education is in a very sorry state in South Africa. I think the cause, though, is not OBE, which actually should be a much better form of education. The real causes of the deterioration are more complex.
Firstly there is the issue of very under-qualified teachers doing their best to cope with a curriculum for which they have had inadequate preparation and for which the resources are also inadequate.
Secondly is the issue of teacher remuneration and the consequent labour issues in the profession. This has led to teaching not having the status it once had and teachers feel extremely de-motivated.
Thirdly there is the issue of discipline, amnd I'm not referring here to corporal punishment which I am against. I am referring to the general issue of the teacher being in the classroom, prepared and ready to teach, and the learners also being there and ready to learn. Unfortunately the government has woken up rather late to the fact that this is an issue which needs to be addressed. And there is not great leadership - the present Minister of Basic Education, when she was still MEC for education, preferred dancing in the streets in support of Zuma, when he was on trial, to attending a meeting on education called by the then MInister, Naledi Pandor. It is difficult to take seriously a call for teachers to do their work when the minister herself sets such a poor example.
Finally there is the issue of the provision of the physical structures for providing education - there are still too many children having to go to school under trees instead of in classrooms. And too many of the classrooms that are there are in pitiable condition.
The apartheid regime deliberately provided sub-standard education for lacks, for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, the ANC government has not done enough to address the issues and we have lost more than 15 years. The primary issue in all of this is the one of accountability - government has not held anyone accountable all down the line - from the public servants in the education departments, to the teachers, to the learners, and especially to the principals.
Education and learning require discipline and the government, for its own reasons, has preferred to dodge that issue.
The separation of the education department into two has made the situation worse, because accountability is now further diluted.
Sorry about the rant, but I am passionate about education and feel that the country is being short-changed in this regard. South Africa spends proportionately more than any other country in the world on education and yet, because of the issue of discipline and accountability we still have this problem.
There is more to say, but not here!
Thanks again for stopping by
Love and peace
Tony
TW I would love to take up your offer to visit a township with you to see the schools there. Anytime you are in Pretoria!
Ixwa - the "b" key on my keyoard (see!) is malfunctioning, so please excuse the typos in my comment!
Lisa - thanks for stopping by. The guy sounds a little pompous, to be sure!
Love and peace
Tony
tonymac04: Pithy answer! Your analysis is spot-on without any frills. Teachers without proper training and equipment dates back to the Apartheid era and is now being bungled by the present government in power- alongside corruption, cronyism, nepotism and sheer dumbness. Secondly, as we both know, teachers in the African community have not been paid pittance and getting them ready now has come to naught. Ever since Mandela came to power, discipline went out the window and the scramble for meagre left over cash has been the rat race among the power, who are expecting to get rich quicker by 'any means possible'. Your last point is accurate, to the extent we look at the past 16 years of ANC rule. Seemingly, they have been lording over the very same system you are addressing: children learning in the veld or under the tree without any proper infrastructure. ANC is not accountable to anyone and they are arrogant. The loss of the years you mention in your comment above is real, and its effects are what I call the de-education of Africans. ANC with all the corruption mentioned above has really exacerbated the state of education making Apartheid look better with its misfit-type -of-education. Without accountability, as you have suavely observed, nothing goes. The ANC, it is my contention is satisfied with keeping its voting polity as ignorant as possible, and they finally diluted and divided the departments you allude to above,, through separation, as you state, to benefit and protect their fiefdoms. I agree with you that there is more to be said on this subject. I am not prone to make follow-up on comments I make on people's articles, but in this rare case, I choose to response and concur with your observations and conclusions. Education amongst Africans in South Africa needs to be put on the "Reset" button. Thank you for responding profusely to my comments which are egging me on todo some research on the topic of Pedagogy post-Apartheid South Africa. Thank you Tony and comments ad feed-back are greatly appreciated. Thank you and 'ukhule uzoukhokhobe'.
Thanks. Very much agree..the rest are just papers!
Wow..great hub..are you a teacher or something? You know iam gonna read your other hubs..just bookmarked.
Thx.
You are so right and correct..iam sick and tired of people who think they are educated yet act like crap..
thanks for this nice and informative hub..i hope you won't have a problem if i quote some of your words!
Thnks
Great article! You are so right about what defines an educated person. I know so many people with several degrees but they can't live in the world or even know what the reality of the world.
Children usually worship three things. God,Parents and finally their teachers. Parents with God's assistance help them open their external eyes. Where as teachers help them to open up their internal eyes.
Teachers should always strive to instill some type of love for learning something in every child. If the child never gains a desire to learn he will be a statistic of some sort.
If one is really intelligent, they are smart enough to know they don't "know it all".
Ixwa - thanks for the comment again!
I think education is going to become the ANC's Achilles heel - the worst aspect of the lack of service delivery. I had hoped that it was not deliberate - but perhaps you have a point there.
Love and peace
Tony
I have no degree, no formal education to speak of. I explore the world around me, books, emotion, life in general, all these things hold a wealth of knowledge and discovery. when it really comes down to it i think the mind was designed to evolve in every aspect of it's existence. like i said this is what i have discovered. I do agree the traditional school setting is more about status in the world rather than true education, people think if they play the game the end result is a certain status in life. they might have attained alot of information but how many really truly learn?
love the content and love the feedback!
Very good Hub Tony, I try to pass such information on to my students that I tutor whenever possible. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford both had very little public education, but they knew where to find the knowledge they needed to succeed. I believe folks ought to be learning all the time and expanding their minds with knowledge and growing in wisdom along the way.
The best educations aren't thhe ones acquired in classrooms
Michal
bit.ly/hpVm4t
That's right. I often hear a statement something like -- *you're not using your education* or *you're a person living in a civilized world and acting uncivilized. People living in the mountains are more civilized than you are* --The world is changing but the heart and good manners of the people should remain the same. What can we do about this?
we can't judge educated people by looks at characteristics....sometimes they doesn't like to shows it...some of them prefer to low profile.
Most really educated people learn despite what they teach in school
I'd like to add educated person have much patience with people too!
What an insightful and wonderful hub! This was SO well done. I also voted it up and incredibly useful.
I truly loved the way you wrote this hub. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Nash, Dave and Yig - thanks for stopping by and commenting. Yig - no problem at all.
Love and peace
Tony
Just about it - thanks for stopping by and the great comment.
Love and peace
Tony
Tvpuram - thanks for thoughtful comment. I like the sentence "teachers help them to open up their internal eyes".
Thanks again for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
Roy - I agree that teachers should strive for that. Not always easy but always worthwhile.
Thanks for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
Susannah - you are so right!
Thanks for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
Rick - I think your comment is spot on. I like the distinction you make between information and learning.
Thanks for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
Janelle - thanks so much. It has been an interesting discussion indeed.
Thanks for stopping by.
Love and peace
Tony
just wanna add...
not all who has a degree are educated!!!
i know lots of them...
their characteristic is more than a trashcan!!!
Ken - thanks for stopping y and I hope your students do learn these things! When we stoip learning we die.
Love and peace
Tony
And experience is the best education for me. Theories are the foundations but when you're actually out there at the field of your specialization, those who have more experience will teach you to get familiar with the actual world of your industry.
Still an educated being will share his/her expertise even without re-numeration. He'll do it for free just for the sake of his countrymen to be educated, too!
Michal - indeed!
Thanks for the comment.
Love and peace
Tony
Well stated and rationally even handed. Certain societies still try to instill self-discovery by way of intellectually searching for answers. However, many societies, especially those of highly developed nations, have created a vacuum of self-centeredness. Many nations no longer foster environments of debate like the Greek or Romans. Now, you have an opinion and either people agree with you are you are shouted down. I do have a question for you;
1. “is independent, within the constraints of collaborative living, in action and thought, taking responsibility for the health and well-being of their body and their mind;”
how do you suppose being independent while being constrained works? Are independent thinkers allowed if collaborative living dictates you keep your opinions to yourself, unless they follow group think? There seams a difficulty in finding a perfectly balanced environment between controlled and fertile. Good Job TonyMac
This is an interesting article. You're right about the indoctrination of youth; it's one of the things I don't like about the education system (in America, I can't speak for other countries). Whenever I teach someone something, I give them just enough information for him to figure out the rest on his own.
After reading your article, I had to comment on a part written where you wrote; Education, on the other hand, opens the mind, encourages a search for truth and develops a mind that can engage critically with many different ideas... I believe this whole heartedly. If you allow yourself the opportunity to RECEIVE fact based information, you enable yourself a better opportunity at making SOUND decisions. A conscious mind is powerful and can't be deceived... Great topic!
You've said it well. If only we could adopt these principles. Thanks for the beautiful description.
tonymac04, You hub was in my line of sight. My schooling history was not reliable: I can recall (mid 40's & 50's) a handfull of teachers who were dedicated to their students, no matter there origin or behavior (recognizing children are what they live). Students smart or not received appropriate attention, not so for the majority.
My education was a hit amd miss and resulting to laboring jobs. I did not recognize my learning problems until witnessing my sons problems while in school. I discovered they may have dyslexic problems, and looking further I discovered their parents also had the same problems in their education experience. I'm in the process of reading The Dyslexic Advantage by Mr & Mrs Brock and Fernette Eide, M.D.'s. I wrote a hub about education, and Michelle Rhee trying to make a difference. I agree with Ms Rhee, our system needs a drastic change for the students and America's future.
Ronnie
This is a very well-informed and researched hub. I applaud your efforts and your skill in writing. It was straight-forward, interesting and an incredible piece. I cannot wait to read more from you. Clearly you are a very intelligent individual with exceptional writing skills.
Tony you are the smertest educater i have ever came across, you are only limited in points.
Great and informative Hub, thank you for sharing your thoughts. Voted up.
Great hub Tony. I agree with you on your thoughts in this article.
Great hub tonymac04 ... I really loved reading your hub... Thanks for the wonderful share ... Keep up the good work ...
Good hub. Similar to what Jean Piaget defined as the end goal of education: autonomy, both in the character and intellectual spheres. Keep up the good work!
http://www.lulu.com/alastingwill - Free Videos and Ebooks For Teachers
“Greek philosopher Epictetus said: "Only the educated are free."”
I would not have put the above statement into this hub because it is simply not true. Education is about liberation and not indoctrination but you can only enhance on freedom because freedom is an impossibility. Nothing is free and anybody who thinks carefully about freedom will know they need certain things in their life to even have a life so can never truly be free.
“The word "education" itself refers to "bringing out" or "bringing forth what is within" from the Latin "e-ducere".” This I agree with completely, it is a two way process both teacher and learner are in the education process and so both are learners. Pedagogy, "to lead the child" .
Finally I am shocked at how many people don't realise that education is at the bottom of the list of priorities of adults, especially governments and politicians, in fact why would the establishment want an educated population because then they would have a more difficult time dealing with it. The establishment on the whole will always do its very best to dumb down the population, they want sheeple not people, except for perhaps their own children but they will always send them to different schools won't they, don't they?
Thanks for the enlightenment and opportunity, Gareth.
Good work ! Tony.
Another great hub Tony, I always know your work is going to be a gem. :)
An excellent article. This is an argument in which I frequently engage, that a degree does not make one educated, and a lack of one does not make one ignorant. Yet we are saturated with media that proclaims otherwise, and the trend of indoctrination prevails.
This is an excellent Hub. Just to be educated does not make a whole person. It takes much as you said.
I voted this Hub UP, and will share.
Thanks so much Mary - much appreciated indeed!
rakuba 2 years ago
Our modern education system should be revised completely. It is so boring and teach us nothing about real life.