# Poor math, science, technology - a better way?

By Murray Bourne, 24 Sep 2005

IBM has an interesting offer to

financially back employees who want to leave the company to become math and science teachers

as reported in eSchool News (article no longer available). They are doing this to help improve the level of math, science and technology in US schools.

Sorry to be cynical, but depending on what school they end up in, I expect there will be a mass retreat back to the safety of corporate IBM after a very short time.

I propose another solution - that IBM agrees to place some students in their company and get the students involved in some real task that the company is working on. This task would be interesting, challenging and would have some technical requirement so that students would be learning as they are doing. In this way, it is authentic learning and worth a lot more than classroom experience, any day. Worth a thought...

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