The Difference Between Education and Training

 Education means to lead out, to guide.  To me, education is to lead out of darkness into the light, or out of ignorance into awareness.  Training means directing someone to perform in a particular way.  Leading and guiding are different than telling and directing.  Education (leading out) is a process of allowing, nurturing, and facilitating an unfolding that is emerging from within a person; training (directing) is a process of instruction from the outside telling someone what to do.  Education begins with the learner.  Training begins with the trainer.  They both have a place.  They can work together.  They often cycle, that is, some education and then some training etc.  For instance, an interest in automotive repair may emerge from inside and be lead out and fostered, which I think of as education, and at some point the individual is likely to be directed as to how he's supposed to do it, which is training.  In childbirth, an obstetrician may lead and guide a baby out into the light, and may also direct and tell the mother what to do.  The difference became clear to me in the process of going to school, where both experiences happened, often times education on my own and training in the classroom.  My 'dream' is to focus on and trust process, and not focus on and try to control outcome; to perform impeccably and hope for the best outcome (or leave the outcome up to God).  That's my dream.  The relentless pursuit  of competency in my dream is competency in staying with the process.

 In my training to be a directoress or guide in a Montessori preschool classroom, we learned that we don't teach the children, we guide them to make discoveries. We spent as many hours in our training classroom making discoveries with the Montessori materials as we did in lecture, as a requirement, so that we could understand what it means to guide rather than teach. This was the first time I received an education, my mind was opened and I made as many discoveries about myself as I did about Montessori and children that year. More importantly, what was begun that year continued to grow. When I was in my first classroom guiding children to their own discoveries I first had to overcome something, these young people had already come to depend on being told what to do and how, they were only 3-6 years old but they insisted that I tell them what to do nearly each step of the day. A Montessori classroom is child driven, but only If the children are free to choose, move and discover. As I helped the children become reacquainted with freedom, I recognized all the ways I wasn't allowing freedom and discovery in my life. It has been many years but I'm still learning to be comfortable with freedom. Though I no longer work in a classroom the education I received in Montessori Teacher Training is still quite relevant. An education is alive and continues long past the time with the teacher, professor or school.

 During my long term as a learner, more than 30 years as a school learner- and the rest 60 years of out of school informal and life learner and as an educator, I have come to realize that formal school learning was primarily training combined with educating. I learned theories of learning and healing, principles of designing and creating curriculum, methods of instruction and counseling, testing and evaluating and doing research in the field of teaching and counseling. Yes. I gained knowledge, mostly information, learned skills required to learn and practice.During these years of schooling, I did have some inner growth promoting and reaching out transpersonal experiences. So it was not all just training. I had wholesome educational experiences from teachers who were not only interested in dolling out information like from mug to jug, but were teaching from their heart with passion, compassion and dedication. I also was blessed to have friends and families who inculcated values of compassion, kindness, and serving others. I believe in creating harmony between head, heart and hands in working as an educator, counselor and a consultant. I wish our educational institutions including our well known ivy schools have a balance between head and heart, taking care of oneself and others, serving oneself and others,cooperation and collaboration, passion and compassion.

Jagdish P Dave