I believe that there is a difference between schooling and education. Schooling results in diplomas and credentials that decorate walls very impressively. In contrast, education results in a new way of seeing the world and interpreting it. Educated people notice things that never before attracted their attention. They find new meanings in old information, and they are not afraid to change an opinion, try a new option, or learn from a child.
Education is the continuous reshaping and refining of ideas, opinions, attitudes, and judgments.
Educated people realize that, although schooling can be completed, learning never ends. I believe that an educator's obligation extends far beyond presenting information for absorption and restatement. If I call myself an educator, then I must illustrate the relevance of course material to the students' experiences and goals. The education I seek to facilitate should equip the student with much more than discipline-specific facts. I must challenge and encourage students to think beyond the textbook, beyond the mastery of facts, to recognizing the events in their lives as illustrations of theoretical principles and as opportunities to use their knowledge to amend and improve the situations in which they find themselves.