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I don't think they even teach Latin, now, do they? Much less, Chaucer, Will'm Shakespeare, or the Bible. Nor, do they allow our children to read good old 'Uncle Remus', regardless of its un-PC structures... Whatever has happened to the public schools (rhetorical question)? They certainly aren't properly educating, nor preparing...

As a recent graduate (2002) of the public school system, let me tell you what my particular high school (which at the time had 6,000+ students, making it the largest in the country, IIRC) featured in its classes, and had as graduation requrements:

-4 English courses. I took the basic course for English I, which featured some grammar education in the first few weeks, then moved on to Romeo and Juliet, as well as a couple of other stories that I forget. Took honors for the other three, and was treated to books such as The Hot Zone, The Great Gatsby, various Edgar Allan Poe stories, Lord of the Flies, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Hamlet. And that's just what I remember.

-2 foreign language courses. There wasn't any Latin (dead language, but the school offered Spanish, German, and French. Due to living in South Florida, I took two Spanish courses. Didn't do too terribly well, but I passed.

-3 math courses, one of which must be an Algebra course (with Algebra II as a graduation requirement). The school offered all the way up to AP Calculus. Didn't take it, but it was there.

-3 social studies courses, one of which must be American History, another which must be a basic economics (how to read the stock market, supply and demand, etc) course. Plenty of AP classes offered here.

-3 science courses. This is where my old high school excelled. I think their science selection outdoes my college's... I personally took geology, biology I, and human anatomy.

That's just the core stuff, in addition to various other requirements... I did pretty well at the various AP classes, psychology especially (I got a 3 on the exam--good when you consider that I didn't do too well in-class, and went in expecting a 1). Public education is better than people give it credit for.

The main problem is the students themselves--they don't want to learn. The school had to rig attendance numbers by taking attendance in second hour (too many people came in late), and skipping was a huge problem. A good number of those who showed up for class were too busy fiddling with their cell phones and talking about who was dating who to pay attention to the lecture.

Rant off.

... As a recent graduate (2002) of the public school system,...

Latin was a dead language when I graduated in 1965, but it is the foundation for much of the worlds' literature, and great writings.

The requirements, to graduate, do not reflect the value of the classes offered. With PCism, much of the good stuff, in literature, is excluded, while "I have two mommies" has been substitued.

Without a doubt, attitude plays a lot in your education, but I have a challenge for you. Without looking them up, please quote for me, the first paragraph of Lincoln's Gettysburg address (and tell me in what state it was given), type the whole Preamble to the Constitution, and The first paragraph of the Declaration of Indepence. If you cannot do it without cheating, please so state, in reply!

My next challenge would be for you to tell me about George Washington Carver, and his impact on society, then name the 23rd President, and Vice President. Then tell me the 49th and 50th states added, without looking them up, in order!

As previously stated, I graduated in 1965. I still remember them...!