DR. WALLACE: I'd like to become a high school teacher, but I'm not going to because of their low salaries. One teacher, a male, tells me that teachers' salaries are low because the majority of them are female. Is that the main reason teachers are paid peanuts? — Calvin, Tampa, Fla.

CALVIN: Yes, most teachers are women. They make up 65 percent of U.S. and 68 percent of Canadian teaching ranks, according to the National Education Association. But that's not the reason teaching salaries are below those of other professionals.

The problem is that their salaries are funded mainly from taxes paid by local property owners within the school district boundaries, who understandably resist all increases in their taxes.

Teachers deserve more money, but won't get it until schools get a different source of primary funding. Public school teachers, both male and female, receive identical salaries in the same school district. The amount of a teacher's salary depends on the number of years teaching and the number of college or university degrees the teacher has earned. A teacher with a master's degree and five years of teaching experience would earn more than a teacher with a bachelor's degree and also with five years of teaching experience.

I hope you change your mind and become a distinguished high school teacher. Very few dedicated educators give up the teaching profession because of the pay scale.

MOST TEENS ARE NOT SEXUALLY ACTIVE

TEENS: Every year, according to the American Social Health Association, over 3 million U.S. teens are infected with a sexually transmitted disease — a shocking 25 percent of all STD victims in the country.

I mention this sobering and startling fact just to remind young people that they are not invulnerable, and that becoming sexually active can have devastating consequences. Girls are more susceptible to STD infections, and less likely to notice symptoms because of their anatomy. The consequences for girls are also more severe and include infertility, cervical cancer and birth defects in their newborn children.

Unwanted pregnancies and the likelihood of post-encounter depression are two more arguments for abstinence.

The good news is that most teens are not sexually active. According to a University of Michigan study, 58 percent of teens, ages 17 and younger, are still virgins.

WHEN HE'S READY, HE WILL DO HIS THING

DR. WALLACE: I'm 19 and my brother is 15. I'm really worried about him because he seems to have no interest in girls. All he ever thinks about is athletics and hanging around with his buddies. When I was his age, I had a steady boyfriend and had been dating for over 4 months. Is there anything wrong with my brother? And if there is, what can I do to help him? — Nameless, Lake Charles, La.

NAMELESS: There is nothing wrong with your brother. Therefore, there is nothing you need to do to help him except to leave him alone and stop worrying about him. Believe me, when he's ready, he'll do his thing.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.