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2003 MacArthur 'Genius Grant' Winners Announced
ccnull writes "This year's list of 24 MacArthur Fellows has been released. Each winner of the so-called 'Genius Grant' receives $500,000, no strings attached. 2003's winners include a blacksmith, a biomedical engineer, a computation geometer, a biophysicist, a nurse, and a short story writer 'crafting witty, experimental prose.'"
I'm willing to bet that the average metal worker with experience could do the same - it not more.
A blog like any other.
goes to [insert name here] for figuring out the comment scoring system on slashdot.org by creatively typing with their toes.
I think someone could make some kind of cgi/php based generator for these topics.
I think in California, already more than 50% of the state budget goes to education. How much more do you think should got to education at the cost of other needs?
I was primarily interested in addressing the issue from the point of view of the guy doing the complaining, as opposed to outlining how to fix American education. From the point of view of the teacher, the choice is pretty simple. Accept the pay or find something else to do.
If you want to address the overall problem, though, I'd say the problem lies primarily in management. Government-run schools have no incentive to become any better, because there's no market mechanism to force them to. The system squeezes out many of the really good teachers, because they don't want to put up with the garbage that goes on in most schools. Some of them end up doing other things and others end up in private schools with better management (where they make less money).
If you look at teacher salaries over the past 40 years or so (and the rate of increase), I think you'd have to conclude that low pay isn't the problem. Relative teacher salaries are higher now than they were 30 or 40 years ago. (I can't cite inflation-adjusted figures, but I think the facts would bear me out on that very readily.) I think there are plenty of decent people who would be willing to teach at the salaries that teachers make -- IF they were allowed to teach and not be made into babysitters AND if the incompetent boobs were weeded out. (One of the biggest frustrations among teachers I know is the quality level of many of the teachers around them. I'm currently dating a teacher who has very interesting stories about that.)
There are plenty of jobs that pay less than teachers are paid (and that also require college degrees). For instance, I used to be a newspaper editor. You'd be shocked how little reporters at small newspapers make. TV producers in many, many markets make less than teachers, too. These are just a couple of examples I'm familiar with. The point is that there are PLENTY of well-educated people who make less than teachers. It's the management structure that's destroyed education, IMO, not the salaries paid to teachers.
"While you're at it, what color is your car? If it's not white (cheap paint and reflects most solar heating) then it's not a paint chosen for function."
Not true. I choose my car color based on what is likely to be overlooked the Highway patrol, and that color is NOT white.
"And no radios. Those waste power."
Um, talk radion? news? resale value? plenty of non 'art' reasons to own a radio.
"Same goes for your house. No paintings on the wall, all white walls and carpets. Efficiency, not aesthetics!"
that would drive most people insane. Besides, if he doesn't care about art, why would he care about the color of carpet his home came with? to change it all to white would be a statement, and could be considered an artistic statement.
"
And, you're not one of those casemodding people are you? That's a waste of resources!"
unless he modes in for effeciency, or perhaps resalevalue.
Of cours eits their money, but it is the poster opinion that it is a waste.
the question is: What the hell is your point?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on