Chapter 9 touches on the concepts of
consumerism and academic entitlement and how these two concepts are linked. The
idea of ‘degree purchasing’ is seen as completing a degree as a means for
employment, not for pursuing higher knowledge (pg. 292). I don’t know about
you, but I want to be a teacher and in order to do so I need an education
degree. I am definitely learning something through obtaining the degree, but
honestly completing it is a means to an end. So yes, I am part of the ‘degree
purchasing’ phenomenon.
The amount of effort and time a student
puts into school and studying is considered in the text to be ‘student
engagement’ (pg. 292). I am not surprised that research indicates that students
who work while in school show more ‘student engagement’ over students who do
not work while studying (pg. 292). Making a huge assumption based on my experiences I feel that the students
who are working while going to school are most likely having to foot the bill
for those classes. I know that I am more invested in activities that I have to
pay for because I have worked hard for the money I have and to see it go up in
flames by flunking out of school is not an option. With that said, this degree
is different from my first because my husband is financing this endeavor. I
love and respect him too much to flunk out of school using his money and I can
see how this could be true for students who have seen their parents work hard
to help them with their student fees.
Discussion
Question: How do you see the Education Degree with
respect to ‘degree purchasing’? Are you in the program so that you can have a
teaching occupation, or are you in the program to receive higher learning in
the area of teaching?
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