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Politics : Right Wing Extremist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (6228)	3/13/2001 1:34:16 AM
From: Magnatizer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 59480

Neocon I disagree, well sort of. Talent comes in many forms. Ones ability to teach is not directly proportional to ones ability to learn or do. Though it seems quite logical to assume the more intelligent one is the better grasp he/she would have on a subject matter. It is at the same time most illogical to assume a higher person of higher IQ could actually teach it better then a person of lower IQ. Therefore teaching has a certain artform to it and our "most talented" would likely end up in the workforce. But those who are on the fringe. Those who know enough to make a very good living outside of teaching. But also have the gift a good teacher needs, should be persuaded to teach. The best way to persuade them to teach is through competitive salary structure. This will eventually come about as more schools are taken over by corporations. Competition will drive salaries up. But the public schools are doomed to be left out of the race as they lack the budget to compete. My line about teachers making 20 mil and sports stars making 50k was just that, a line. It will not happen in my or my childrens lifetimes. I know it, but I can dream. ht Mag

To: Neocon who wrote (6228)	3/13/2001 2:07:45 AM
From: Mr. Whist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 59480

Re: "It would be a waste to have our most talented people teaching third grade, or even high school physics for that matter." Actually, I would argue the complete opposite ... that we should put our best teachers in the very early grades ... when children soak up more knowledge than at any other time in life. On theother end of the spectrum, I have a friend whose son attends M.I.T. The freshman introductory physics class at M.I.T. is taught by a Nobel Prize winner. My friend said this professor could squirrel himself away teaching graduate-level courses, but he prefers to teach at the lowest rung of the ladder, because there he can do the most good. Re: "Teachers' salaries are generally reasonable": Again, I respectfully disagree.

To: Neocon who wrote (6228)	3/14/2001 1:34:52 AM
From: MSB	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 59480

It would be a waste to have our most talented people teaching third grade, or even high school physics for that matter. Neo, My understanding of your statement suggests to me the idea the most talented people would want to teach, but you propose this would be a waste of their talent, and those talented have come to a similar conclusion. I suspect in higher education there are quite a number of very talented people teaching, but they're also enjoying quite a number of additional perks which the K-12 teachers just plain don't get. Additionally, I believe the subsequent discussion has over looked the fact teachers in middle schools and junior highs are often looked to, even counted on as the first observers to identify problems such as child abuse or malnutrition. And lets not forget how many times teachers have also been subjected to lawsuits of one nature or another, sometimes for very good reasons. Raise the pay scale and requirements accordingly and one is bound to get a better quality of employee. One gets what one pays for sort of speak. Btw, if you can find just anybody to teach high school prepatory college biology or any other such type of science course you've got talents greater than even I had originally believed. I don't believe such people are a dime a dozen and actually want to make teaching a career choice. Otherwise, people would be flocking to the positions essentially rendering the unions useless...know what I mean? I like the commercial on tv where the son tells the dad he wants to teach and then says something along the line of "because otherwise how do doctors become doctors." All of this being said, I voted against the last millage increase to raise teacher's salaries in my local school district. Not because I don't believe the teachers deserve to have better pay, but because I'm staunchly against having to pay for other peoples kids since my wife and I don't have or want children. I believe if people can't pay for them, they shouldn't engage in the conduct which produces them (just in case anyone has any doubts to my extremist views).