What is education?

Quito, julio 1 de 2017 Photo by @gerarldauc

The term “education” may go beyond more our common understanding, because it involves a set of concepts, process, beliefs and it is not only an idea of a book, schools, students and teachers. Basically, a definition accepted of Education is “the wise, hopeful and respectful cultivation of learning undertaken in the belief that all should have the chance to share in life”. However, each term of this concept carries a series of deeper process at the person during its learning.

Sometimes the learning will be as personal as collective, but at the end of the day, the outcome is a new understanding or appreciation of our world. To improve this learning, educators are the first whom create environments and relationships that helps to drill knowledge into people. From here, we can divide in different modes of learning. The first is formal education where the educator has a clear idea of what the students need to perform during the learning. By contrast, the second is an informal education, where students are working with a community group, and the educators are at the guests. By this way, people can explore and share their experiences, ideas and feelings. Otherwise, we can consider another mode known as self-education where we learn for ourselves. All these modes imply that there are always learners and facilitators in the education.

To start a new learning, the educators are first in believing on the persons, because they invite people to learn and they believe that learning is possible. For that, the students, according to Warnock (1986) the best attribute that they could have, is the hope, because hope is akin to energy, to curiosity, to the belief that things are going to work.

During the process of education, educators should exhibit several basic virtues such as: respect, sincerity, accuracy, informed and wisdom. A virtue which will be mandatory in the educators, is the respect for the truth, to others (and themselves) and the world. To keep up the respect for the truth, they should exhibit both sincerity and accuracy. This way, they can look under the surface, try to challenge and be open to alternatives. Likewise, educators should show a fundamental respect for others and themselves, since any one person will merit some essential level of consideration, regardless the social or politic position or religion that they came. In the case of the respect in the world, educators should cultivate in their students the essential respect to all things around us. This last idea is connected to the thinking of educationalists such as Montessori, whose vision of cosmic education told us that “We shall walk together on this part of life, for all things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity”.

An excellent characteristic of educator is their capacity to associate the knowledge and any activity. Therefore, they are facilitators of knowledge, with that, they can create an environment where their expertise help to people learn. To achieve this capacity the educators will be well-informed about your subject and the surrounding reality. Finally, something more complicated is the wisdom. It depends on the perception of either one, in other words, is a quality recognized by others. Therefore, the educators that are considered as wise. Generally, they have a combination of qualities.

How it was mentioned above, the educators work with people to generate an environment, where all parts can share experiences, connect to feelings, develops understanding. Therefore, the education will be look as a change for the better and a space to appreciate the value of things. Without forgetting that beyond of the process of learning exists approaches such as; religion, human rights and scientific exploration.

From my point of view, the education is a process where each student together to an educator explore their experiences and share between them during their life. This way, there is a connection between the learning and the surrounding things. To achieve it, the educators can create an environment where both are comfortable build relationships for learning. The process of education will be conceive through of a disposition of respect between both parts, and the encourage to building knowledge in the students. I am inclined to believe that an educator is the key to build understanding at student about the world around us. Moreover, an educator will join up a set of virtues that will show in front of a student, and that it permits to the student will connect to share experiences and feelings. Thus, the educators can supply the knowledge to the students. Finally, in my experience as a student several teachers have been the promoters not only to learn chemistry, but a point of starting in my behavior and my passion for the science.