Athletes, Students

Re July 19 articles: “Shaq-zaam! He’s a $120-Million Laker” and “If Students Are Paid, Test Scores Rise, Study Finds”:

The idea that sweeping educational reforms are not as effective as “old-fashioned” bribery meshes beautifully with paying athletes’ salaries up to $30 million a year. Yes, money talks so let’s become realists instead of serious hypocrites about what we can expect from our youth of America, who are, as we often extol, our future.

Society tells me, a teacher, that I am so valuable because I educate our future. Please, give me a break! My top salary of $50,000 a year doing what society says is so wonderful is not as much as Michael Jordan’s daily rate of $82,191.78 ($30 million a year).

What does society think kids look at in making choices? Obviously, it is money. And now results of a study indicate that paying students $1 an answer helps motivate them. What a surprise!

OK, so let’s just accept money as our main value. The more bucks the better. Entertainment, not education, is the direct path to that value. If we deal with this reality, at least we can tout honesty as one of our virtues.

ULA PENDLETON