Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ncis.llnl.gov!ncis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!ucsd!rutgers!ucla-cs!math.ucla.edu!redwood!troly From: troly@redwood.math.ucla.edu (Bret Jolly) Newsgroups: comp.edu Subject: Re: Are Americans Intellectually Inferior? Message-ID: <349@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> Date: 19 Jan 89 00:46:50 GMT References: <14.UUL1.3#913@acw.UUCP> <2085@scolex> Sender: news@MATH.UCLA.EDU Reply-To: troly@math.ucla.edu (Bret Jolly) Organization: UCLA Mathematics Department Lines: 28 In article <2085@scolex> brianm@sco.COM (Brian Moffet) writes: >In article johnm@uts.amdahl.com (John Murray) writes: >>In article <14.UUL1.3#913@acw.UUCP>, scott@acw.UUCP (Scott Guthery) writes: >>> Bret Jolly wonders if Americans are intellectually inferior. Once again, I didn't say this! >Actually, the teachers and Unions are not to blame so much for the schooling >that children recieve in the States. I would have to say the lack >of respect for educators is partially responsible for this low >education. Why Should I, who makes over 30K a year, go teach at a >school where I would probably make half that. You seem to underestimate teacher's salaries. In the LA unified school district the average tenured teacher makes about 35k. And this is for a 9 month year. Pro-rate this and you see that they are being paid quite well, especially considering their frequent inadequacy. (Source: an article I read in the LA times a month or so ago.) However it is true that competence makes little or no difference in a teacher's salary. Part of the problem lies in the colleges and universities which allow incompetent future teachers to graduate. For example there are *college* courses for future teachers which teach things like adding fractions. But I think that an adult who can't add fractions should not be admitted to college and definitely should never be allowed to teach. These people will be teaching math to your kids!!!!