What is Education?

This may seem rather simplistic, but the question “what is education” is actually a rather loaded one. Everyone views education differently and its interpretation is vast. It is definitely more than book learning and there are a variety of ways in which to view it. The rough interpretation of the question could simply be the knowing of fundamental skills, academic learning, control, and participation in society.

What is education could also be interpreted as the academic fundamentals you should know and learn. However, education is so much more than cracking open and book and memorizing facts. The burning answer to the question “what is education” includes curiosity in learning, inspiration and envisioning ideas, learning from failure, self-motivation to create something and just plain old common sense acquired by logical reasoning and/or trial and error.

The above interpretation to the whole “what is education” is more real and explains why a lot of people viewed as geniuses like Albert Einstein and Bill Gates never finished school. Education is more than regurgitating factoids from a book and studying to take standardized tests. Education is experiencing life itself.

When you hear the desire of others to obtain a quality education, whether for themselves or for their children, you have to think outside the box. This is the reason why there are private schools and home schooling. There are entities that recognize that being pigeon-holed by a system is not the best way to provide an education. What is education should be described in terms of not only what they learn in a book, but also recognizing natural gifts and capitalizing on them to reinforce curriculum that they must know.

Focusing in on what works for you or your child is essential to providing an excellent education. Often times, it is independent resources that are the best way to cultivate a love of lifelong learning.