Once Bill Gates has taught a class of 31 Kindergarten students with the following demographics:

• 60% do not speak English at home
• 25% attended preschool
• 10% are homeless
• 40% have experienced family violence
• 100% live below the federal poverty line
• 60% live in a substandard federal housing project originally slated for demolition in the 50s
• 10% are in foster care
• 20% have experienced the death of a parent
• 10% have serious health problems
• 50% regularly experience food insecurity
• 10% have a documented learning disability
• 10% qualify for speech services

and gets them from where they are in August to on grade level by June, I will be willing to listen to him explain how states must raise class sizes and not pay me for the degrees and trainings that make it possible for me to do my job well.

Until then, perhaps he should focus more on solving underfunding rather than adapting to it.  For instance, a good capital gains tax would make a big difference.  Indeed, were Microsoft more willing to pay taxes owed rather than incorporate in offshore tax havens, we could take a goodly bite out of the problem.

What his argument boils down to is the deprofessionalism of teaching.  He is proposing a job that no one can do well for more than a couple of years - and even with just a couple of years, the emotional and physical strain of the work would have lasting health effects.

So, Bill?  Go get a college degree, a credential and get back to me then.  For now, I'm going to assume that you resent the fact I'm better educated than you and did not have to steal C prompt from the California shareware anarchists to make a living.