Re(2): Re(2): Re(2): Words as commodity/client

From: Charles Nelson (c.nelson@mail.utexas.edu)
Date: Sun Sep 09 2001 - 16:10:59 PDT


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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