The use of positive and negative reinforcement in schools condition students for emotional dependence on authority
- prepares children for extrinsic motivation
- Those who do feel gratification from their school performance I believe have some need for validation and support fulfilled by teacher praise, and have no real higher aspersions: As we self-realize we become more sure of our identity and less reliant of the validation of others
The public schooling system utilizes operant conditioning to condition students in becoming emotionally dependent on authority figures. Through positive and negative reinforcement, such as stars and red checks, smiles and frowns, prizes, honors, and disgraces, in other words doggie biscuit bribes, students are taught to surrender their will to the predestined chain of command. Rights may be granted or withheld by any authority without appeal, because rights do not exist inside a school unless school authorities say they do. Teachers intervene in many personal decisions, issuing a pass for those they deem legitimate and initiating a disciplinary confrontation for behavior that threatens their control. These means ensure that students refrain from acting independently and to wait for approval before acting.
References
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Gatto, T., John. (1992). Dumbing Us Down The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling Chapter 1. The Seven-Lesson Schoolteacher (p. 23). Gabriola Island, CA: New Society Publishers.
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LIbertarian Communist Platform. (2014). Education For Obedience (9:38). Youtube.