Transactional Education and the Myth of the Market
Quarter one is in the books. And this year more than any I can remember, I'm aware of and disappointed by the business of school. Other people have developed language that probably best describes my discomfort. Most interaction in a typical school setting is transactional instead of transformative. Its quid pro quo transaction. Students turns in assignments, teachers gives grades. Parents call in, students are released. Students do work, school gives credit. Students ask for permission, teachers give permission - or not. It's a series of unspoken "if... then" statements, like Basic programming language. The whole thing is based on formal and predetermined rules. Compliance keeps the system running smoothly. Deviation is discouraged. Hierarchy determines transactional capital. The higher up the hierarchy the more "institutional capital" one begins with, students at the bottom to staff to teacher to admin. Like most hierarchies, t...