Can some of you please let me know how you tell if a person is highly educated? What is your criteria for this description?

I dunno. I'm stumped.

college transcripts?

I suppose you could judge based on what they've been taught - but it might be better go by what they've learned.

Anything posted by Rob Shipley or Jim Brady is an example of something posted by someone who is "highly educated."

And just so Jimbo can tell that I'm being facetious:

I'm being facetious, Jim.

It is based on how much education a person has had and not on intelligence, success, or anything else.

refined

So basically a person can become highly educated but not actually be intelligent. Amazing how degrees can be awarded for mediocrity.

so, i am curious, do i dare ask what is the question or motive to make such an inquiry?

So basically a person can become highly educated but not actually be intelligent. Amazing how degrees can be awarded for mediocrity.

Conversely, someone can be highly intelligent but not actually be educated.

I have known 2 people in my life who I would consider highly intelligent and were very successful (both multi-millionaires)and neither finished grade school, let alone high school. Maybe not the preferred route in our society but intelligence mixed with common sense will beat "educated" every time. IMHO

[This message has been edited by John Morford (4/4/2009)]

I don't put much stock in the "highly educated" column. I appreciate intelligence more - which is usually something people have or don't have from the get-go. And what I admire is wisdom, which I would define as intelligence seasoned with experience.

Whether wisdom comes from experience gained through a formal college education, by attending the school of hard knocks, or a combination of both doesn't matter much. I've met kids fresh out of high school that are wise beyond their years, and I've met Ph.D.s who couldn't tell their ass from a hole in the ground...

"I am a highly educated woman and wish that the closed minded people would realize that not everybody's perfect and they make mistakes, but they come out of it, they mature. and from what i can tell alot of miles citians have not crossed that line into maturity."

For someone that claims to be highly educated, spell check could save some face.

Neccessary? = Necessary
Chyme? = Chime
Helpfull = Helpful
i = I
Erks = Irks

But, I am not highly educated.

[This message has been edited by James (4/4/2009)]

[This message has been edited by James (4/4/2009)]

Intelligence is knowing the right thing to do... Wisdom is doing the right thing.

To me, highly educated means attaining education beyond undergraduate studies. Of course, it has no bearing on one's maturity or common sense or sensitivity. It does, however, indicate a desire to better one's self through hard work which is a noble activity. (Or, as was in my case, an inability to face the real world yet ) Education counts for something but isn't the only measure of a person. My grandfather had only a high school education but was one of the most well read, intelligent people I know.

AMEN WENDY - WELL SAID

I would add that anyone who does not settle on what they've already been taught and strives to learn more everyday is a person who aspires to be highly educated. There's always more to learn and more knowledge to be understood.

Education should not be something thought of in past tense.

It behooves one, when claiming to be "highly educated," to make such a statement in such a manner that does belie the claim.

Brian

I do know that in Catholic school, those club-weilding nuns taught us how to spell a-n-n-i-h-i-l-a-t-e.

(You asked for it!!!)

These guys are highly educated ;

I posted this question as there have been a few people writing in the forums who have called themselves highly educated. Yet they went on to write in such a manner that I would question their ability to pass a fifth grade English test. I knew what highly educated meant to me. I was curious what it meant to others.

How about a post-graduate degree?

Steve,

I agree with everything you said. There are too many people with lots of letters behind their names who lack common sense and wisdom.

My father only made it through eighth grade. He grew up on a homestead. Yet he was extremely intelligent. I could ask him to figure out how much interest I would pay by the fifth year on a thirty year loan at a certain interest rate and he would figure it out with a pencil in about five minutes.

He knew what was important in life. He knew what to treasure and how to make priorities.

My dad wasn't "highly educated" but he was the wisest, smartest man I've ever known.

"I posted this question as there have been a few people writing in the forums who have called themselves highly educated. Yet they went on to write in such a manner that I would question their ability to pass a fifth grade English test. I knew what highly educated meant to me. I was curious what it meant to others."

One of the challenges with the forum format is that 80% of communication is non-verbal. Voice inflection and facial expression are really important to communication. I suspect a lot of the time here at MC.com, peoples point of view aren't always clearly understood because the communication is incomplete. The "education" and "intelligence" of people are often unjustly evaluated because of incomplete communication or not having the complete context.

I think you're absolutely right, Richard. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been misunderstood or who has misunderstood others on this forum.

There are people who have called themselves highly educated on these forums. Their words, not mine. I had wrongly assumed that having achieved a level of "Higher eduation" meant that things such as spelling and grammar would be at least of a high school graduate level.

It has nothing to do with inflection or anything like that.

No wonder you don't understand Sarah P.

....assuming there's anything of substance to understand.

Jim,

<ahem> "I" before "e" except after "c". Those silly nuns.


FH

Richard,
She received her bachelor's degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho and attended the following schools

Hawaii Pacific University (Fall 1982),
North Idaho College (Spring 1983 & Fall 1983),
University of Idaho (Fall 1984 - Spring 1985),
Matanuska-Susitna College (Fall 1985) and
University of Idaho (Spring 1986, Fall 1986 and Spring 1987 ).

Wow...highly educated....and it only took her four schools to find a place that would let someone with her "abilities" graduate.

I just laugh my butt off everytime I think about her having a degree in communications and journalism!! So many jokes....so little time.

I am about 6 months away from my doctorate...but am humbled that it has taken me so long to get here. I graduated in 1966 from Custer County High School, 1970 from MSU, 2000 from Rice University , and hopefully 2010 with my doctorate.

I am humbled and pleased by the accomplishments of so many of my classmates from CCHS during the 1960s, and my classmates at Montana STate University in the late 1960s and early 1970s. There was a unique group of students who attended CCHS in the 1960s and I doubt we have yet to see the end of their accomplishments.

I can think of several -- Duncan and Michael Wohlgenant, Jim Ross, Ray Randall,Mike Galvin, Donaleen Kohn,and myself -- who I think will peak in our 60s and 70s. The 1960s and 1970s created some special situations and challenges. Our progress through those years show the value of the education we received in Miles City.

Amorette gets my vote as the most highly educated poster on this forum. None of the rest of you dropped the "behooves" bomb.

[This message has been edited by poisonspaghetti (4/5/2009)]

I know I is highly educated....for I's has a Masters Degree.....

IN SCIENCE!!!!!

I think officially a Statistician would require a Master's Degree or in some cases a PhD in order to qualify someone as "well educated" (especially if they were extrapolating information from a survey).

In my case, I think I make assumptions about a person's education based on their mastery of the written English language in these forums (if they are butchering basic grammar and spelling rules while writing a post, I assume they have never completed a College Writing Course, even at the Jr. College level, no matter what level of Education they claim to possess).

However, I too have friends and relatives who did not graduate from College, or even a "certified" High School, and yet are so well read, so logical and so intelligent that I (and others) respect them as "well educated".

P.S. I never spell check anything, but I think I will spell check this post for a change...no small feat since I don't have an "official" word processing program......

[This message has been edited by Toni Campbell Tivy (4/6/2009)]

Yous aer al a bunch of intlechal snobbs!

I know one person who is highly educated (having an advanced degree) but has trouble spelling due to a learning disability. He uses spell check at work but doesn't use it a lot in his personal communications.

So you shouldn't judge everyone on spelling as President Andrew Jackson said, "It is a damn poor mind indeed which can't think of at least two ways to spell any word."

Imagine you were to go to a doctor and ask him to write out directions for the medication he prescribed. He hands you a sheet of paper with no capitalization, no punctuation and words that are not even recognizable due to the amount of misspelled words. Would you trust him?

Granted, the doctor may have great bedside manners and great diagnostic abilitilies. But wouldn't you wonder a little how he made it through all those years of schooling to become a doctor yet lacked the basic English skills to pass sixth grade?

I'm fairly sure if you equate intelligence with education your not as smart as you think you are.

PoisonSpaghetti:

re: 'Behooves'

I rarely hear that word anymore - but in my experience the word was most often bellowed in a sarcastic manner by my Marine Drill Instructor, to the affect: "It would behoove you maggots to . . . "

Highly educated indeed. It took my a week to understand one word the man said. But he was very intelligent, in a steely-eyed killer sort of way.

You haven't seen a lot of Dr.'s handwriting, have you Kacey?

Bill Gates is a college dropout, and he's the richest man on the planet. Highly Educated != Highly Intelligent

Intelligence comes in many forms. Book-smart, street-smart, people-smart and common sense-smart. A person can have all or some or none of them. I have book-smarts and a little common sense. Street-smarts and people-smarts are not so much my deal so I look to my strengths and work on my weaknesses. When I point out posters' grammar or spelling mistakes I'm not necessarily making fun of them; I'm just letting my book-smarts take over my people-smarts. Like I said, I only have a little common sense.