I’ve been ambivalent about the results of this study. I mean–is the Peace Corps a volunteerism succubus? Do people who work at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit (many of whom were unemployed or incarcerated at one time) vote at a lower rate? Should we care? Your questions about how to keep teachers passionate and producing over the long haul are much more important.

Once again, we’re trying to extrapolate widescale education policy-making on the basis of a small (and, IMHO, way overanalyzed) group of young, privileged possible idealists who do not, in any regard, resemble the millions of teachers who are “the profession.”

So true, David. This reminds me of the recent LA Times article about the bill granting parents the right to pull their kids from lower performing schools. Rather than fix the schools, they are granting people the right to bail on them, “leaving behind” as it were, the kids with the least amount of advocacy. So what happens to those kids who don’t leave the school? We’re now creating an even more tragic tier of performance and achievement while creating an exodus to other schools. So midguided!

Thanks for commenting!