[summer]

Lowering the standards is simply accepting their failure to teach.

While it certainly true some teachers can't teach and shouldn't be in a classroom, I do think today's teachers face difficulties almost unheard of in past generations.

I have taught in a classroom where only one -- one student, that's it -- came from a 2-parent home. I have taught in classrooms where most of the students are immigrants and do not speak English. There are also violent students, students who do everything possible to disrupt the learning environment, and parents who do the same. I can truly understand good teachers -- and even great teachers -- are now eager to retire. It is not easy to be involved with kids today, no matter how much you love them and be able to teach. Most teachers are overjoyed when Friday finally rolls around.

[gitmo]

I know. My wife was a public school teacher for years. She used to bring groups of the children home. Many of them were terrified of me, because they came from fatherless homes. (They soon learned I'm a real pushover, and know lots of cool games.)

However, I've encountered a number of teachers who really seem to hate kids. Or at least, any kids who don't fit their concepts of the "perfect angel". I work with children at church, and see a lot of wonderful kids who get crushed at school.

Also, I get letters from my kids' teachers. I'm appalled at their inability to form complete sentences, their inability to spell common words, or to comprehend the English language. And they seem uneducated about basic topics (arithmetic, basic science, english, or history).