> Before the covid hoax, less than 40% of American students were proficient in English and less than 35% were proficient in mathematics. <
I taught in an urban public school. Our general course (NOT honors) numbers were even worse. And here’s why.
1. It was rare for a student to attend a full school week. Most attended three or four days. You can’t learn much when you’re absent that often.
2. Parental involvement was almost nonexistent.
3. No one did much homework. You could penalize them for that, but see #4.
4. The administration made rules such that it was almost impossible to fail a student. And the students knew it. Why bother studying when you’ll pass anyway? Crazy.
It was the same in the schools I taught in. Poor attendance. Herds of students wandering the halls during class, trying to disrupt classes so that the students therein would learn as much as those who were out in the hall. Incessant interruptions in lessons due to discipline problems. Little attention being paid due to fooling around with cell phones.
Trying to call a parent, you'd have about a 25% chance of reaching one. Too often, you'd hear, "Doo, doo, DOO--this number is out of service!" To get the best contact number, you'd have to run down to the nurse's office and thumb through medical cards for such a number. On parent/teacher nights, it was generally the better kids' parents who showed up, not the parent(s) you really needed to talk to.
Few students did much homework or even knew what was going on in class. The habitual class cutters would rely on getting the notes from the few who faithfully attended class every day. They didn't care if they learned anything or not, their teachers were forced to pass them.
And yes, the administrators, eager to earn their $25K bonuses for good passing stats, would pressure teachers to pass even students who didn't even attend class or even change their grades behind the teacher's back. Graduation was therefore a complete farce, discharging thousands of illiterates into society ill prepared to do much but take a menial job or turn to crime to support themselves.
Yes, there are some bad-apple teachers. But the vast majority of them were dedicated individuals sincerely trying to impart knowledge to their students. And most, including myself, spent hundreds of their own money to buy basic supplies for the classroom which the district should have purchased, but did not. Now, they are too busy buying bi-lingual textbooks and hiring bi-lingual teachers for the illegals instead of providing for the taxpayers' kids' needs.