Noj, I sincerly agree with your "raise the bar" argument.  I remember high school as pretty much a waste of time, except for the rare classes that were taught by teachers who did just that.  However, given a choice between a teacher who is a "genius" and one who can genuinely motivate the students, I think the choice is obvious.  It's that motivation that pushes children to excell, not the teachers I.Q. score...