DH> MS> CB>  MS>     The _student_ is not the "customer" in the K-12 
DH> MS> CB>  MS> industry, since the student neither pays the bills 
DH> MS> CB>  MS> nor (for the vast majority of students) chooses 
DH> MS> CB>  MS> the school he goes to.  
DH>  
DH> MS>     Merriam-Webster defines "customer" as:
DH> MS>         "Buyer, purchaser; esp. a regular or frequent buyer".
DH> MS>     K-12 students are not "customers" by this definition, since 
DH> they
DH> MS> buy (pay) nor purchase (obtain by paying money or its equivalent) 
DH> in
DH> MS> educational marketplace.  It is _taxpayers_, not K-12 students, 
DH> who 
DH> MS> these dictionary definitions of "customer" and "purchase".
DH>  
DH>    But why would you limit your definition of customer to what 
DH> Webster 
DH> defines? Some dictionaries loosely define customer as one "you have 
DH> to 
DH> deal with".  In the context of Quality a customer can be that person 
DH> who receives your product or is a beneficiary of your service.  
    Only if a kid the same age as an elementary school student is the 
"customer" of the pediatrician giving him shots when he's 5.  And if that 
5-year-old is the "customer" of the pediatrician, is a _dog_ the "customer" 
of the veterinarian?
    You'll never satisfy your customer base if you misidentify the customer 
you must satisfy.
--- Simplex BBS (v1.07.00Beta [DOS])
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