I work in psychiatry and see several teachers as patients.
Many tell me that kindergarteners are coming to school without having been taught any semblance of their alphabet, their numbers. Many can’t write their own name. One teacher said one child didn’t even KNOW their own name.
They say behaviors are out of control and the parents are entitled and demanding as hell.
I believe so many just cop out when it comes to spending any sort of time with their kids. They’re sitting in front of their own computers and phones and the kids are doing the same.
We’re truly going to be a nation of total nitwits before long — we’re at least halfway there.
I see that contrasted with high school students who are petrified of getting a B and set unbelievable standards for themselves, taking several AP classes as early as sophomore years ...they are clamoring to get into the best schools, the best of everything.
Years ago a friend teaching in an urban district who had a student who didn’t know the word “book”. Anyone visiting homes in these areas notices immediately the lack of books of any kind. Many have joined the “post-thinking” point; their TV or smartphone (with feeds controlled by our oligarchs) “thinks” for them, and the regurgitate that as “thoughts” or “opinions”. This has spread far outside the ghetto, too.
We saw it with COVID, now Ukraine.
Many parents DEMAND that teachers give good grades. They aren’t interested in content being delivered and verified. Most people, even here at FR, don’t realize that schools lowered their standards in response to lawsuits that were levied by parents because their child didn’t get easy grades.
I can’t remember where I read it, but the author stated “diversity is a cancer to America.” The more I hear about the poor proficiency of American students, and then listen to the Ukrainian kids being interviewed, the more that statement comes to mind.