Whereas schooling has a certain predictability， education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education， then， is a very broad， inclusive term. It is a lifelong process， a process that starts long before the start of school， and one that should be an integral part of one's entire life.

　　Schooling， on the other hand， is a specific， formalized process， whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country， children arrive at school at approximately the same time， take assigned seats， are taught by an adult， use similar textbooks， do homework， take exams， and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned， whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government， have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example， high school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling.