This is an interesting commentary. For the record, I have always thought that a good teacher is worth her or his weight in gold, and there is a pressing need to find and reward more good teachers. The trick is identifying the better teachers, and encouraging other persons currently employed as teachers to find gainful employment in another occupation over time. See also
http://hanushek.stanford.edu/publications/distribution-teach...
on the tricky issues involved in measuring teacher quality.