“They were the last “old-school” decent teachers I knew that actually cared about education instead of “diversity” and “self esteem”. Unfortunately, they all recently retired because they couldn’t handle the insanity.”
And therin sits the 500 lb gorilla. I make no secret of my distaste for the government schools. But to their credit, even if they were inclined to make some radical reforms, who would be there to do it? There is simply no pool of highly talented individuals willing to go get a masters degree to earn the pittance that starting teachers get paid. The teachers that are there are rapidly nearing retirement.
You’re seeing the collapse of government schools in ever increasing motion.
2 excellent teachers I knew retired because they got tired of getting into fistfights every other day with kids roaming the halls.
My old high school went from one of the top schools in the nation to a place that looks like a prison. Hell, prisons have more discipline. It all dropped like a stone after they redrew districts and started busing in “disadvantaged” kids from a different highschool. Yes, those schools were bad. But now EVERY school in the borough is a war zone.
A friend was working there and asked me to come in one day. There used to be not a sound in the hallways. Now gangs roam around with boomboxes and openly sell drugs in school. Security consists of metal detecting to try to stop shootings and stabbings. It's almost a free-for-all past the door. I wish I was exaggerating.