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Transcript: Ted Mala, M.D., M.P.H.

Being raised in the city prepares a student best to study the hard sciences

[Mala:]
The problem is there’s great disparity in village education, and if you’re preparing someone for the hard sciences, they really have to be raised in a city and learn competitiveness. If you’re raised in a place with inflated grades —and not all of them are—but given—
[Lindberg:]
No, I know what you mean.
[Mala:]
—people want good evaluations and want tenure and whatever—and what kind of person really goes to a village to teach? I mean there’s a book written by Father Oleksa on that very subject. And there are some that are great. They’re They're just unbelievable teachers. But it’s all what you put into it. I remember years ago all of our IQs were very low, very low and then they took the elephants and the giraffes off and stuck a few whales and walruses on the test and, wow, our IQs went up. So it’s a matter of seeing with eyes. The best biology teachers would go out on the ice, dissect a seal, engage the kids. Other ones will just read the book and talking head and fall asleep and do hard time.