The Meaning of Educated
Today I am grateful for my formal education, but also the ongoing informal education I get each day as I try to live life fully.
As I remembered my dad on Father's Day, I thought about how he was formally and informally educated. He only went to school through the 8th grade and then went to work on the family farm. That was not an unusual scenario at the time. But I always consider my father to have been an educated man. Informal education is just as important as formal. Experience is one of the best teachers. Dad knew a lot about farming, animals, crops, machinery, the weather and much more. He learned it all through on-the-job training.
Dad also kept up on current events. He read newspapers and magazines regularly. He watched and listened to the news. He showed interest in the broader world and passed along that interest to me, the one who taught social studies classes for 10 years. I think most of my siblings followed his example and try to keep up on the news at least some.
His formal education was limited. His informal education never ended. It reminds me not to get too hung up degrees and credits, but rather to consider what I am learning and applying in my life daily. My formal education took me to a Master's of Science in Guidance and Counseling. That formal education helped me into a job that is a good fit for me and I am grateful for both the degree and the job. But it is my informal education day-to-day that teaches me so much about doing the next right thing, about being a good person, about being a contributing member of my family, my community, and the larger world.
Formally or informally, I am open to learning today. Have a good day!
As I remembered my dad on Father's Day, I thought about how he was formally and informally educated. He only went to school through the 8th grade and then went to work on the family farm. That was not an unusual scenario at the time. But I always consider my father to have been an educated man. Informal education is just as important as formal. Experience is one of the best teachers. Dad knew a lot about farming, animals, crops, machinery, the weather and much more. He learned it all through on-the-job training.
Dad also kept up on current events. He read newspapers and magazines regularly. He watched and listened to the news. He showed interest in the broader world and passed along that interest to me, the one who taught social studies classes for 10 years. I think most of my siblings followed his example and try to keep up on the news at least some.
His formal education was limited. His informal education never ended. It reminds me not to get too hung up degrees and credits, but rather to consider what I am learning and applying in my life daily. My formal education took me to a Master's of Science in Guidance and Counseling. That formal education helped me into a job that is a good fit for me and I am grateful for both the degree and the job. But it is my informal education day-to-day that teaches me so much about doing the next right thing, about being a good person, about being a contributing member of my family, my community, and the larger world.
Formally or informally, I am open to learning today. Have a good day!
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