michael,

my point is that education is important in our society - whether it's right or not. do i think i could've been an effective teacher without spending four years in college? of course i do. does my sister who spent most of her life doing drugs think she's a good mother? of course she does.

education is there to weed out the qualified from the not so qualified. are there people who would make good lawyers without going to law school? of course there are. but - what would happen if we let everyone who thought they were good at something start practicing in the field they feel qualified for?

maybe i'm not being clear, because i am definitely not "elite." in fact, i've been a food service worker and a single mother most of my life (including the time i went to college).

i find caring for children to be one of the most important jobs on the planet. so, why are childcare workers paid so little? well, it's because society doesn't value the work they do. why don't they value the work they do? because no education is required to do it. why is no education required to do it when education is required to be a teacher? the list goes on.

child care workers deserve more credit and more pay - however, they won't get it unless we start demanding that the standards be raised. when i was working in a daycare center, i worked alongside 18 year old girls with a GED who had never cared for a child a day in her life. that is equivelant to a fast food worker - and the pay is comparable - that's all i'm saying. i find it absurd that someone who puts fries in a bag has the same training as someone who raises my (our your) children. i think the pay should be higher, but naturally, with higher pay comes higher standards - regardless the field.

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