An educator is someone whose job involves teaching or helping others learn. Your classroom teacher is an educator, but so is a museum guide who explains how dinosaurs lived, a librarian who helps kids find the perfect book, or a camp counselor teaching wilderness survival skills.

The word educator feels more formal than teacher. While all teachers are educators, not all educators stand in front of a classroom. A principal who designs better ways for a school to operate is an educator. A scientist who creates videos explaining how volcanoes work is an educator. Someone who writes textbooks or develops educational software can be called an educator too.

What makes someone an educator is caring that others actually learn and grow while sharing information with them. An educator thinks carefully about how to make ideas clear and engaging. When a park ranger explains why certain trails are closed to protect nesting birds, she's being an educator by helping visitors understand the why behind the rules.

Good educators don't just pour facts into students' heads. They help lead understanding out of curious minds, helping people discover what they're capable of learning.