Two of the greatest challenges facing any educator are deciding what information will be included in a syllabus and how to present it for maximum learning. Distilling the experience derived from a quarter of a century teaching microscopy exposes one driving concept: the importance of education, not just training.

The difference between these two approaches is fundamental. Education involves laying a foundation on good science, building a vocabulary for better communication and future growth, and engendering a questioning attitude about the probe-matter interactions which, in turn, leads to valid interpretation of the information in an image. Training is a matter of learning what knob to turn, which button to push: an approach which overlooks the sample itself; how the light, electron, or scanning force is interacting with that sample; and what can be learned as a result.