Student vs Learners - it's just semantics

At work we are switching from saying student to learner. Which is cool I am fine with that I went from debtors to consumers before and from clients to participants so I can make this change too and it don't mind which word we use. But some people were discussing and someone else posted a link to an article which explains the difference some people think exists between the two words. The main differences they posted are

Student	Learner
What do I have to do for the grade?	What do I think is important?
How do I know when I’m done?	Done? How can I be done?
What do I need to know?	What haven’t I looked at yet?
I’m just here for the grade	I’m here to answer my own questions
Wants to know the Right Answer	Knows there are no Right Answers

http://durandus.com/phaedrus/2006/09/thinking-like-a-learner/

I can see their point and all but I don't like it because of how our education system is set up. I know from personal experience if you are in school and act/think like a learner you get punished for it in the form of a lesser grade and/or failing. And some people don't care what grade you get but if you want to continue on in your education and you have all Cs you might have some issues. I dont' know maybe you could try to write on grad school applications that you are a learner not a student and that effected your grades but I don't know if that would work. Often things I think are important in classes the teacher doesn't think are important and aren't on assignments or tests. If you are only there to answer your questions and they don't line up with the teacher's ideas you could have an issue. And good luck with no right answers on an exam.

I am not saying that you should just memorize everything you know will be on the test that learning for yourself is also important but when you are in a structured learning environment often times you have to think more like a student and when/if you have time think like a learner. When I was in school I thought like a student most of the time and when I was done with the assignments or on breaks from school I would think like a learner. I think being a learner is great when I was doing my 2 year apprenticeship with a midwife in North Central Idaho I was a learner most of the time and studied whatever midwifery related topics that interested me or came up in births I attended. It was excellent but I know when/if I get into a midwifery program I will have to leave much of that style behind and focus more on what the curriculum dictates.

I guess my main issue is that the tone of the student/learner issue is usually that learners are somehow better or more real than students. I just find that to be an unfair comparison like if you were to compare someone who is independently wealthy and volunteers at a food bank for fun and the people who work there and still barely have enough money to get by. You could say the volunteer truly cares about the people and the workers are just money grubbers! Umm no the people who work there might care about the people who come to the food bank they just need the money. I think student can truly care about learning they just have to play the game to some extent to pass classes and get the grades they need to get where they want to be in life.