* Question marks represent curiosity and inquiry: Children naturally approach the world with a sense of wonder, asking "why?" and "how?" constantly. They are open to new experiences and possibilities.
* Periods represent conformity and finality: The school system, according to Postman, often stifles this innate curiosity. Through standardized testing, rigid curricula, and a focus on memorization rather than critical thinking, it trains children to accept information passively and to view knowledge as a set of fixed facts, rather than something to be questioned and explored. The "period" signifies the end of questioning, the acceptance of a single, "correct" answer.
In essence, Postman believed that the educational system, as it existed (at the time he wrote, and arguably still to some extent today), often dampened children's natural inquisitiveness and replaced it with a more passive, unquestioning acceptance of authority and established knowledge. The "period" represents a loss of that vital questioning spirit.