Maybe to
most people the word educator and teacher are synonyms; but even just a short
look in the dictionary already gives a hint about the difference between both. An
educator means; a
person who provides education or instruction, whilst a teacher is a person who teaches.
Nevertheless,
until the moment I learnt about environmental
education, the difference didn’t mean much to me either.
But then I learnt
what the true difference is between
an educator and a teacher;
Everybody can be a teacher. Everyone can basically read
out loud from a textbook, and explain in a basic manner all sorts of things others
have taught them in turn. Many people only decide to become a teacher because
of the social status, the money or the long holidays. Now, I don’t want to
reduce the value teachers have, I know
it’s a tough job, but, from my point of view, a basic teacher lacks a
fundamental factor:
Passion
An educator
is someone who is passionate about
spreading knowledge, about enriching the inner world of their students and about
giving students the freedom to explore the world for themselves and decide for
their own what is the truth. An educator is someone who offers the information,
who offers guidance, but never indoctrinates. An educator is someone who
is so passionate about sharing
knowledge with others, younger or older then themselves, you can the joy on his or her face. An educator is
someone who is so passionate about educating that it’s no longer a job, but a vocation.
A vocation
to create a better world.
Because we need educators. We need people who educate both the younger and the older people about
the importance of social justice,
about true democracy, about the importance of woman rights, about the environment, and so much more. Teachers are
fine for basic things like maths or languages (although even there is much
space for improvement), but for all life-concerning matters we need educators. We need to reeducate ourselves. And for
that we need passionate people, who are wise enough to understand that
educating is not reciting things they have learnt from textbooks. You can’t be
an educator if you lack a deeper, intuitive and complex understanding of the
world.
An educator
sees the world the way it is; complex, interconnected and as a
whole. In contrary to teachers, who have learnt from the teachers
before them that the world is to be separated in small pieces so to facilitate
the teaching process. Thereby causing the students to believe the world is separated
and that actions don’t or barely have any effect on the rest of the world.
This is an important idea. You cannot educate boys
in third world countries to treat girls with respect and care, if you don’t
explain and let them see for themselves the great importance girls and women
have in their society when you give them the freedom to grow and become the great
people they are meant to become. You cannot educate adult people about climate
change without showing them the reality that all is interconnected and that what’s
happening now will have effects for many years to come, in ways that often seem
so far from the initial cause that many people never think about it.
I have
known people who, in their hearts, are true
educators, not merely teachers. My perception of them is that they are
people who are so inspiring to others, that they affect the path of the lives
of their students. When you see these people, you can see the passion for
educating brimming out of them and bringing
over to the students the senses of amazement and wonder and love for learning and
understanding the world.
Maybe I am in my heart, even more than an
environmental scientist, an educator. I see the world in all its
complexity thanks to all the events in my life that have led me to this moment.
Thanks to my work I have seen that this is one of the things in life I most
enjoy. I still have a long way to go before becoming a “full-grown” educator,
being only a humble 22 years old. But yes. I have a passion. I know the importance of educators in this world of
rapid changes and needs for modifications in order to provide
a future for all living beings after us.
There is much, much more to write about this. I feel enthusiastic, inspired, and
joyful writing about this, but otherwise the texts will become too long ;)
So, my dear
reader, I hope I have lightened up a spark of inspiration and passion
in you. We live in great times. But we must also remember that this is a crucial time in history, and that we must all
put our personal piece of effort if we want a better world.
Namaste
