There is a new study out–unhappily I caught it quickly and cannot cite the source–which concludedthat the key ingredient in the making of good “teachers” was akin to voodoo! …. If you run across the articleplease let me know as I have mentally scourged myself for not tarrying to make a note. ….

[url url=http://]http://www.annarbor.com/news/education/what-exactly-is-a-good-teacher/[/url] and[url url=http://]http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Teachers-t.html[/url]Looked at both and as a former teacher my take is this: teachers cannot be expected to magically make poor students proficient. A high school student that can't read isn't illiterate because of his / her HS teachers. All the folks that say educationis like sports… if the team doesn't perform fire the coaches are looney. A professional sports team is not made up of who-so-ever walks in the door or lives in the neighborhood; they are cherry-picked from a pool of the most accomplished athletes are the previous level based on their previous perrformance. If the players fail at one level they do not make it to the next, not so with education… they are promoted and the teacher at the next level is expected to teach harder (smarter, better, with more voodoo, or whatever the current buzz word is) to both remediate and teach the new material. Coaches are fired if they don't win because not winning doesn't put fans in the seats and it is easier to fire a $250,000 coach than a 25 million dollar RB.Some teachers have the gift to get along with kids… they are not always the most successful teachers at puffing up test scores but they are the ones that instill a love of learning in the kids. Or, failing that get them through the year without totally turning the kids off to the subject and learning generally. Wish I could sound more upbeat but that's how I see it.Might should split this part off into another threat. As far as professional historians go… if your main job is history; reading, writing, teaching, research, what-have-you… you are one. Even if only a legend in their own mind.

Donald Baker–OPtion 2!!!!Then he need not write anything and all those who have given us wonderful History books–but do notteach and earn lots of bucks by their writing are not professional historians?  With all due respect I beseech you to reconsider your choice as I believe it to be wrong or at  least not  quite right.

As everyone knows, I'm an Ivory Tower snob.  Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!:)

Well okay, stereotyping aside, I'm not an Ivory Tower snob.  I believe we reward the folks who pay their dues at the highest levels.  They are the standard bearers we all must live up to in the profession.