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xmca@weber.ucsd.edu writes:
>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?
We have several centuries of "teacher -knows-best". Put this way it is not
very flattering however for those of us in vocational education ( and by
vocation you can think of being a philosopher as a vocation) there is a
process of induction into what in contemporary terms is a "community of
practice". Nowadays we would encourage that process of induction to be
reflexive, even transgressive... the presence and action of the neophyte
transforming the community itslef. Nevertheless there is a mutuality in
the process which is not the same as providing a service: we work together
on this.
There are other institutions (mainly pre-capitalist) where thankfully this
commodification mentaility to does not obtain : religion, the tribe, the
family - for all their faults. The minute an organisation like the Girl
Scouts start talking about "clinets" it will be time to give up. Sometimes
we are "members" and that puts responsibilities upon us which go well
beyond client/service provider activity.
I can work as teacher to a" good" or "bad" degree, some of which will be
the perception of the student and equally I will have "good" and "bad"
response from the students. There are (and should be) systems in place for
reflection and improvement of this dynamic. However this is not the same
as what I understand client-recepient relationships to be. Those who
provide me with travel services can not enter into discussion of whether I
am a good traveller or not. Restrateurs (Basil Fawlty aside) should not
question my preference for wholemeal bread and white flour pasta.
Now you might say my University should provide a service: reliable
accommodation , books in the library and so on. The administration do
provide a "service"
Martin Owen
Labordy Dysgu- Learning Lab
Prifysgol Cymru Bangor- University of Wales, Bangor
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