[NLA] Volunteers and credentials

[AndresMuro@aol.com]

Just for the record, I don't have a single official entitlement that 
credentials me to administer or teach at an adult education program or the 
K-12 system. I have this joke that I came up with a few years ago. It is 
based on Ivan Illich. Ivan Illich is a philosopher who argued that schools  
didn't give you knowledge. Instead they gave you entitlements in the form of 
credentials to show that you possess a certain kind of knowledge. however,  
the relationship between knowledge and the credential was non existent. 
Knowledge is simply the indoctrination into a series of socialization's that 
you go through. . If you are willing to get indoctrinated you will be given, 
through a credential, the entitlement to claim that you know. Illich wrote a 
book called Deschooling Society. 

Now, back to the joke. I founded the Ivan Illich Academy for 
Deinstitutionalized Self-Entitlements. through this academy, I gave myself an 
AS Ph.D. SA stands for self-appointed, but I do not have to disclose that. In 
my academy any person can give himself or herself an entitlement of their 
choice w/o joining an institution (there is a small fee, of course ;-) .

A few years back my wife designed a diploma for my SA Ph.D. She invented a 
university and signed the diploma with Che Guevara, Sub Comandante Marcos and 
George Bush. I though that it was so funny that I hanged the diploma in my 
office. The amazing thing is that a lot of people see it and compliment me on 
my Ph.D. I explain to them that it is a joke and they laugh. However, I 
realized that a lot of people that come to my office and see my SA Ph.D may 
think that I am a doctor.

So, how about this for a credentialing system. Send me a Penny and you have 
entitled yourself to receive any SA degree from the Ivan Illich academy. We 
have financial aid. If you  entitle yourself  to Financial Aid, simply don't 
send the Penny.

Andres  



In a message dated 7/4/2002 4:43:33 AM Mountain Daylight Time, 
eileeneckert at hotmail.com writes: 
> On credentialing: College faculty are not credentialed as such (though some 
> are hired with credentials from the discipline--e.g., for faculty of social 
> 
> work, an LCSW is required), and they enjoy the identity of being a "field". 
> 
> What is the relationship between credentialing and professionalization or 
> legitimacy as a field? Is there a clear relationship? And is it persuasive 
> enough to give up local, program-level control and flexibility in staffing?
> 
> 

andresmuro at aol.com
Visit my art webpage at: http://www.geocities.com/andresmuro/artwork.html
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