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Mensans v Non-Mensans
Jill, at Feministe, makes a blog post ridiculing a comment that uses Mensa membership to validate a fondness for the Cathy comic strip.

The first comment starts off with a defense of Mensa and an earnest explanation of what it means to be a genius. But soon comments erupt criticizing all standard tests, defending standardized tests and Mensa, along with accusations of ableism, lamenting the loneliness and social ostracization that is the lot of smart people and horror at Jill's very appalling anti-intellectualism.

SweetMachine nicely rounds up the kerfuffle: Way to fight the good fight, Mensa lovers! Put that genius to work!

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dodge_and_weave
2010-08-18 01:31 pm UTC (link)

In Chicago that means that after the lavish benefits packages teachers reap by threat of strike and the six figure incomes administrators take for poor management that the resources actually allotted to students is fairly limited.

aaaaaaaaaaaand commenter William lost me right here. Unless he seems to think trying to find a home in a nice neighborhood with a yard in Chicago per residency requirements on 56K and a TRS system that is in failure a lavish benefit package. Especially if you have to dip into your own funds if you want your students to have pens, pencils, paper etc. since they aren't buying it themselves and the school isn't supplying that. Yeah, he can bite me.

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	persona 2010-08-18 05:01 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah, I just looked at that and went '... no. Are you new here?' Lavish? Really? _{(Hi, one of my parents was a Chicago school teacher).} (Reply to this)(Parent)

ladyvorkosigan
2010-08-18 06:38 pm UTC (link)

Yep, lost me there too (and he said some reasonable things otherwise). Yes, William, the reason the school system failed you is because the teaching staff selfishly demanded salaries that can more or less be classified as a "living wage" and are still far lower than other professionals with commensurate levels of education are awarded. It has nothing whatsoever to do with how society values and funds education. No, it's all about those selfish teachers and their mid five figure salaries. (And I'm sure the fact that they're largely female in no way influences your opinion on this at all.)

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	evilsqueakers 2010-08-18 11:39 pm UTC (link)
	I remember seeing my 8th grade teacher's salary in Atlanta in the mid 90s. She was making something between 34-38k for teaching 120 students. I didn't think her salary was unreasonable, but instead a tad low. I figured my school system failed me because it's based in Georgia and education is rarely priority unless it brings in money to the county and state. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	eleutheria 2010-08-19 08:56 am UTC (link)
	The upper administrator thing is true in VA. They seem to get raises while asking for more and more money that they don't pay their teachers. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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