Andy wrote:
>My view:
>(1) Being a producer and buyer of commodities is a condition I want
>to get out of, and
So you're not out of it yet, then. Still, how do you plan to get out of it?
>(2) Commodity production is the foundation of a society which gives
>us war, famine, serial murder and all sorts of inhumanity, so I do
>what I can to encourage other people to limit their enthusiasm for
>commodity production and exchange.
Limiting one's enthusiasm for commodity production and exchange is a
good practice, but I imagine people can find enough reasons to kill
each other and nature causes enough famines on its own without
blaming everything on commodity production.
>(3) Commodification of education is hardly more despicable than
>commodification of food production, health care, physical safety or
>anything else.
>(4) The state acting as a mediating term in your relationship with a
>student is actually a more archaic and detestable relationship than
>that of commodity exchange.
If the state pays a teacher's salary and dictates rules of
accreditation, school management, teaching, student-teacher
relationships, etc., why deny its mediating nature simply because you
don't like it?
Charles
>Andy
>
>
>
>At 04:10 PM 9/09/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>>Martin,
>>
>>Certainly things shouldn't be reduced to commodity exchange. (It
>>does sound rather negative, especially in education.) And as you
>>said, you have many responsibilities. Even so, aren't you selling
>>your services to the state and also acting as an agent of the
>>state? As such, why couldn't one of your responsibilities as state
>>agent be seen as providing a service to your students?
>>
>>Charles Nelson
>>
>>>But the initial premise is the in the first sentence. A teacher is not a
>>>service provider.As a teacher I do not sell anything The relationship is
>>>not one of service and provision and receipt and a student is not a client.
>>>
>>>Elsewhere I have clinets. They contract to me for a service I provide. The
>>>dynamics and obligations on all sides are different. As a teacher I have a
>>>multiplicity of responsibilities and those go beyond the student. In my
>>>case the state pays for both my participation and the participation of my
>>>students (are they the client?).
>>>
>>>As a teacher I do not sell anything. We are not involved in any form of
>>>commodification. The student is expected to be more than a receiver of a
>>>service, they are not consummers, customers or clients. Things should not
>>>be reduced to commodity exchange. It is inherently a capitalist way of
>>>seeing the world. It loses sight of other ways of interpreting social
>>>relations.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Martin Owen
>>>Labordy Dysgu- Learning Lab
>>>Prifysgol Cymru Bangor- University of Wales, Bangor
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