How are Cuba and the United States the Same? They Don't Pay Teachers

America and Cuba have a long history. Recently I was made aware of a blogger from Cuba who was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.



While visiting her blog site, http://www.desdecuba.com/generationy/?p=477 I read the following:



From Generation Y: A very high percentage of those who choose a teaching specialty—I would venture a guess that it’s nearly all of them—do so because they have no other option. They are those students who, because of bad grades, can’t aspire to a computer specialty or pre-university hard sciences. In fewer than three years of training, they will be standing next to a chalkboard with students nearly their own age. Without these “instant teachers” the classrooms would be empty of instructors because the miserable salaries have led to an exodus to better paying occupations.If such a noble profession continues to be filled by the least qualified, the education level of the generations to come will be very poor. Already, a teacher confessed to my son and his classmates, when they started the 7th grade, “Study hard so you won’t end up like me. I had to become a teacher because of my bad grades.”



We have more in common with Cuba then we think...