<p>Any of you find this surprising? Thoughts on how this affects our educational systems?</p>
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2) LIMITED ACADEMIC APTITUDE OF MANY EDUCATORS (as compared to other students applying for graduate study, as measured by the Graduate Record Examination): In a nutshell, GRE scores of applicants for graduate study in education are on the left side of the "bell curve" distribution of scores. For example, applicants for graduate study in Education Administration tested between July 1, 2001, and June 30, 2004 had a combined mean total GRE score of 950 (Verbal - 427; Math - 523). That is sixth from the bottom of 51 fields of graduate study tabulated by the Educational Testing Service. The mean total GRE score across all fields was 1066. Which applicants had still lower total GRE scores than applicants in Education Administration? Social Work - 896, Early Childhood - 913, Student Counseling - 928, Home Economics - 933, Special Education - 934 - education fields all. Other fields with mean GRE scores on the far left side of the GRE bell curve? Seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth from the left tip of the curve, respectively: Public Administration ("practices and roles of public bureaucracies") - 965, Other Education - 968, Elementary Education - 970, Education Evaluation and Research - 985, Other Social Science - 993.
<p>What's surprising about it? Education is probably the lowest paying field requiring a GRE. Educators also have to deal with much more red tape and bureaucracy than do most other fields.</p>
<p>Back in the late 60s, early 70s when more fields beside education opened up to women and African Americans, many of the most outstanding women and African Americans moved on to more lucrative fields with more independence and respect.</p>
<p>Do you seriously think the best and brightest minds in America are going to waste their time teaching high school students? Heck no. Your AP teachers are all people who probally failed high school. Only a miniscule amount of teachers 'choose' teaching rather than some other job like teaching @ a university or one of the other trillion jobs in the world except...high school teaching.</p>
<p>You must've had a bad experience with teachers, guys.</p>
<p>Because the teachers at my school are some of the brightest and most incredible individuals I have ever had the pleasure and good fortune to meet. I am even close personal friends with some of them and have babysat for them, etc. And let me tell you, the ones who CHOSE teaching are much better at it than the ones who just "fell back" on teaching.</p>
<p>Also, try not to judge teachers too harshly. It's an extremely thankless job, and that would get to anyone eventually.</p>
<p>But think about it: without teachers, there would BE no "brightest minds in America", because how would we learn anything?</p>
<p>real teachers are in the minority these days, precisely because there is very little reward gained from teaching these days, despite any effort. it really is sad. get young teachers--they usually still have the spark left within them.</p>
<p>^ yea, and begin paying them decent amounts too. A person working in a coal mine makes equal to or more than a teacher whos 5 years into the job. Pretty sad.</p>
<p>"Do you seriously think the best and brightest minds in America are going to waste their time teaching high school students? Heck no. Your AP teachers are all people who probally failed high school."</p>
<p>There really are smart people who enjoy teaching, and enjoy teens, but don't chose to teach because of the low pay and other problems. In many districts, teachers can't even afford to live in the districts where they teach because their pay is so low that they can't afford housing.</p>
<p>I don't think GRE scores will reflect how good a teacher someone is. This probably only pertains to grade school and high school teachers only, anyway, which isn't GRE level. Whether or not they're well versed in what they have to teach and understand the way people learn to grasp the information is what matters more. </p>
<p>I have to agree, though, teacher's salaries suck.</p>
