What if rappers are the modern-day Shakespeare?

Think about it: Shakespeare's poetry was probably considered low-brow in his day. He used the common folk's vernacular instead of lofty formal English or Latin. He used curse words and explored topics like sex and violence. People sometimes found his work offensive, but he wrote poetry that rang a bell with the "lower class".

I don't even really like rap, but just a thought.

Why would you want to be a teacher?

“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” 
― Aristotle

Things have changed a bit since Aristotle's day. 

When I consider some of my peers who have not only graduated with a degree in education, but have successfully found teaching jobs, I shudder at the thought that they will be shaping our future generations. More often than not, they were lackluster students in high school who struggled to grasp even simple concepts.*

My first reaction is to wonder who in their right mind would hire them as teachers. Surely there are more qualified candidates.

Then it occurred to me: what if there aren't?

Here's the unpleasant truth: smart people don't want to be teachers.

It makes sense. A high school chemistry teacher earns, on average, $57,770 a year (and that's the average- the lowest paid high school teachers make only about $36,000 a year). Compare that to chemists, who make on average $76,870 a year.

That's nearly a $20,000 difference (for those of you who did not have good math teachers). With the rare exception of the individual motivated by the altruistic desire to educate young minds, someone who has the ability to be a chemist will choose to go work as a chemist rather than teach chemistry. But isn't this exactly the person we need to be a teacher? Don't we want our children to be educated by teachers who actually know what they're doing?

It's common knowledge that our education system is failing. Legislators grasp for solutions, none of which ever seem to make any difference- such as merit pay systems and more rigorous standardized testing.  Meanwhile, American students continue to fall behind their peers in other parts of the world, raising significant concerns about America's ability to compete in an increasingly global economy. 

If we want to fix the education system, we need to find ways to attract more bright minds to the teaching profession, particularly in public schools (about 90.6% of students attend public schools). This could be accomplished not only by better pay, but also (ironically) by removing or at least reducing programs intended to improve the system, such as merit pay and standardized testing. Many teachers express extreme dissatisfaction with these programs- this February a group of teachers in Seattle even boycotted their state's standardized test, and merit pay systems have been called "demoralizing."

Until we change the system, we will perpetuate the cycle of unqualified teachers churning out under-educated pupils, who graduate unable to compete with their foreign counterparts in a global economy.

What would Aristotle say?

*Of course, there are exceptions. I know several aspiring educators who will make excellent teachers. 

Why I'll always be proud to be an Auburn Tiger

The National Championship game was rough. I grew up a Seminole fan and currently attend law school at Florida State, but I went to Auburn for undergrad. During the brief years I was there, Auburn captured my heart.

I never thought football would be a problem since FSU and Auburn hadn't played each other since 1990.

Boy, was I wrong.

In the weeks leading up to the game, I couldn't decide which side I should choose.  I couldn't bring myself to cheer against either team. When the game started, though, I felt like I was back in Jordan-Hare stadium as a freshman watching the eagle circle the field for the first time, and I knew I had to cheer for Auburn.

My first "war eagle" experience

Although we lost, Auburn didn't disappoint me. The Tigers gave the Noles the most challenging game they've had all season, and both teams proved that they truly deserved to be in the championship game.


As the game unfolded, I found another reason to be glad I had chosen the Tigers: fan attitudes.

Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of friends and family who are completely classy FSU fans*. But when FSU didn't take its usual obscenely large lead in the first half, my newsfeed began to fill up with comments like this:

FSU went on to make an incredible comeback and win the game, and Auburn fans reacted to the defeat a little differently. Here's what appeared from the Auburn fans in my newsfeed:

I couldn't be prouder to be a part of a family of fans that supports its team, win or lose. Maybe my assortment of Facebook friends is biased, but I didn't see a single status from an Auburn fan belittling the team or blaming the players.

FSU fans- shape up! Make me feel just as proud to be a part of the "Nole Nation" as I am to be a part of the "Auburn Family." Enjoy the win-- it came from hard work and lots of talent, and I'm thrilled to be a student at another National Championship school. Just remember that if you truly love your team, you love them through the wins AND the losses.

War eagle and go Noles!





*Seriously guys, I love you. This blog is not directed toward the fans who have been there through the thick and the thin, and I know that there are some fans who would never post things like this. Don't be mad. :)

** Also, please excuse me for stealing your statuses