Educare and educere come from the Latin word for education.
Educare implies the preservation and passing down of knowledge and shaping young people in the image of their parents. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 reminds us that we are to teach our children God’s Word as part of our everyday activities. Children often learn more from what we are than from what we say.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Much of the teaching in classical education is the passing down of the wealth of information from those who have gone before us. We want our children to know the Bible, history, great music, art, and literature.
It is interesting to note that while both educare and educare have etymological basis, they represent two different aspects of the education process.
Educare is much like the grammar stage when students are learning the language of a subject. The tradition or rules of each subject are being taught, and memorization is an important part of this stage of learning.
Educere, on the other hand, implies more of a leading out, preparing a new generation for the changes that are to come. This aspect of the education process is more like the dialectic or logic stage when the student takes what was taught in the grammar stage and begins to evaluate it in order to take ownership of the information.
Our mission statement at Grace Academy states that we are “growing lifelong learners and next generation leaders to glorify Him.” Inherent in this statement is both the educare as well as the educere aspects of the education process.
Both are necessary to provide balanced education. We seek to train our students (educare) so they can, in turn, lead out (educere).
Thus, educare and educere are of equal importance. We want to prepare students for a 21st century world by providing things such as the latest in technology and programs to prepare them for the future, thus educere.
My mission as a Christian educator is to grow lifelong learners through a balanced teaching of preserving the past through a biblical, classical education while preparing them for the future through the latest in technology, brain research, and innovative teaching.
“In the overall scheme of things, educare and educere are of equal importance. Education that ignores educare dooms its students to starting over with each generation. Omitting educere produces citizens who are incapable of solving new problems.” ~R.V. Bass
