The educated man is...

 I asked a question in my last post: is someone who steals or embezzles money an educated man?  Very clearly yes. The educated man is accountable. Not being accountable is not the way of the educated man. He renders an account of all that is entrusted to him for the common good.  He does not take what does not belong to him; neither does he take what he has not kept. Fraud, stealing, embezzlement, bribery and corruption make him sick.  Hence, he will not do them himself.

            The educated man is refined man, both in actions and in words. He keeps watch over what passes through his lips. He will not use a word that does not bring honor to him or another; or that questions the soundness of his own upbringing.  He is a man of integrity; a man of character; who does not seek justice through violence; but calmly and firmly he seeks redress when need arises; and is quick to put things straight himself when he goes wrong. He does not take a grudge to bed. He knows it gives sleepless nights; and does not help anyone.

            The educated man is a prudent man. He looks before he leaps. Even when he thinks he is sure, he is still prudent and goes gently rather than fast; fully aware, as the wise say,  that ‘he that threads gently goes faster.’ Nothing that he does is exaggerated; better less than too much. Hence, the middle course of moderation is where he belongs (Continued).

EDUCATION AND TEACHERS WORLDWIDE FORUM: 'Show me aneducated man...'

EDUCATION AND TEACHERS WORLDWIDE FORUM: 'Show me aneducated man...': ‘Show me an educated man and I will show you a refined person’ (Ngobesing Suh Romanus) .   Study the following two men and say what you...

'Show me aneducated man...'

‘Show me an educated man and I will show you a refined person’(Ngobesing Suh Romanus). 
 Study the following two men and say what you think about them. One is called Mr. Kaazi and the other Mr. Ghapat.  One day, it happened that the two men were crossing a narrow stairway from opposite directions at the same time.  Then they came face to face with each other. One person needed to step aside for the other one to pass. None did. Instead, they stared at each other.  Who would give way to the other?  That would mean giving in to the other. Soon, Mr. Kaazi thundered, “Get out of my way and let me pass.”

“That is just what I would like you to do,” said Mr. Ghapat.

“What none-sense!” said Mr. Kaazi arrogantly, “I never make way for a fool.”

“I do!” answered Mr. Ghapat immediately; and stepped aside, letting the other man pass.

Question: between the two men, who is more refined?  Who has an educated mind?
 Educated people are scarce to come by; but when you come across them you  feel life is worth living.  He/she does not shout at you when you happen to err in something. He/she takes everything good or bad with calm fortitude; knowing, after all, that we all have our weaknesses; and, often, despite ourselves, we do things we should not do.

          

            Talking about the attributes of the educated man, he is an honest man. He seeks the truth and where he finds it, stands by it. You can trust him. Trustworthiness is his trademark or a character trait dear to him.  He is a man of his word.  He says what he means and means what he says. When he makes a promise, know he will keep it. He will not promise to do what he cannot do.  He will not make a promise if he knows full well he will not keep. The educated man is a just man. He gives everyone his due; and makes sure that no one suffers a penalty he does not deserve. Cheating to him is not allowed. Why should anyone cheat another? He does not see why some should have more than they need and throw away some while others wallow in misery and lack. The idea of someone having the Lion’s share does not augur well with the truly educated man. Everyone should have his fill; and everybody should be fine.  A good question: is someone who steals or embezzles an educated man?  This is what we shall see in our next post.

"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society" (Theodore Roosevelt).
In our last post, we talked about the educated and the learned person.  I told you I was going to tell you how you can know whether a person is educated or only learned. This is what I would like to do now. If you meet an educated man, you will find him quite different from many of the people around you. In him or her, you will find a special touch or grace that the others do not have. When he/she greets you, you will find style; not an attempt to impress or depress you.  He will neither be haughty nor condescending. The educated person likes you to feel a sense of self worth.  He/she likes you to know you are somebody that he/she sees and recognizes.  Your status in society does not matter to the educated person.  What matters is that you are a human being made in the image of God, deserving to be treated with respect and dignity; and this is exactly what he/she does.

When the educated person meets you he/she does not wait for you to greet him or her; he/she greets you first and with a smile; not just any kind of smile - a warm smile; and at once you know there goes someone who is warm and caring. He does not wait for you to make way for him either, if you find yourselves face to face on a narrow path.  He makes way for you.  How can he stand on your way? He is refined. In fact, show me an educated man and I will show you a refined man. (to be continued).

"Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a candle" (William Butler Yeats).

Do you know any educated person?  You may wonder why I ask this question. Around you there are many people you consider educated and think the question is stupid.  Wait a minute. It may not be stupid.  The educated person is different from the learned person.  I wonder if you agree!  The truth is unless the learned person is at the same time an educated person he will only be a learned person and not an educated person. The purely educated person is someone who has a lot of knowledge because he/she has read and learned a great deal; but he may not be educated.  If someone is called a learned person, it means the person has great knowledge gained from reading and studying; but he/she will not necessary be an educated man.  There are many learned men and women amongst us; but educated men and women are rare to find. People who are smart and find an educated person, easily know. Next time we will tell how it is possible to know. In other words, we shall tell you some of the things that distinguish an educated man from a learned man.

Education and Teachers' World Wide Forum

Dear teacher, whether you are a teacher at primary, secondary or university level, you are challenged to save the world from perdition. Teachers are the architects of the world.  You are the ones who fashion the hearts and minds that determine the destiny of the world.  Education is what shapes the world.  The world is the way it is because of the education that has shaped the minds and hearts of the people of the world since creation.  If a child is educated to hate, the child will grow to hate. If a child is educated to steal, the child will grow to steal.  If a child is educated to kill, the child will grow to kill. Similarly, if a child is educated to love and feel for others, the child will grow to love and feel for others. If a child is educated to be just and value the truth, the child will grow to be just and to value the truth. Therefore, if we want the world to be an excellent place to live in, we must offer education that makes the receiver an excellent person who will give the best he/she can to the world.  

 The end purpose of education is an excellent world to live in.  Once, I was thrilled by a talk given by a distinguished educationist to young students.  He told his young audience, ‘No matter how learned, professionally skilled, renowned or highly placed you may become in future, work to make the world a safer and better place to live in for yourself and others.’  It couldn’t have been better said.  Unfortunately, in the world today, we have education which empowers people to become intellectual crooks. Among us there are intellectual giants who are moral Lilliputians, moral dwarfs or moral pigmies. Education enables us to get money, position, power and influence and what do we do with them? In many cases, we use them to threaten, bully, suppress, maltreat, cheat, exploit, trample on others or even eliminate them to have our way.  This explains why we see highly educated people who indulge in evil practices such as bribery and corruption, injustice, lies-telling, and other ills that do not only bring shame to themselves but make the world a dangerous place for others.  We must be careful about the kind of education that is given the people of the world. That is why in this forum we shall focus on teachers and education. We hope that all teachers shall make it their favorite forum to discuss issues of education and teaching.