Dear Editor,

I must congratulate Ann McGuigan for writing a pointed OpEd article that will surely stir debate on campus. I am sure that many will feel belittled or unfairly attacked by Ann’s comments, but she blatantly displays an issue that is all too common on many campuses across the nation.

When I was an undergraduate, I knew many students that were education majors because it “let them party more” or because there were “a lot of hot girls” in education. I also knew many students that could not “cut” engineering, math, or business so they became education majors. I have never known a student to go in the opposite direction for academic reasons.

I certainly appreciate that there are students that take a lot from the education courses and become excellent teachers, but sadly I think they are the exceptions and not the norm. I personally have known many excellent teachers; one in particular chose to teach in the gang infested schools in southern San Diego over the rich La Jolla schools—because she understood she could make a real difference for some of those kids. Many of these same teacher’s friends openly complained about the quality of their peers in general.

I hope that Ann’s article will make many think and consider this important issue. Education is in many ways this state’s and nation’s most important natural resource, and we must ensure that it is not squandered.

Lee Lang

Laramie, WY