Dumbing Down of America (1 Viewer)

Quick search didn't show a topic started ... so I'll start my rant with a fresh one.

While on vacation in Cancun, met a young lady from Germany. I asked her how her english was spoken so well. 

She told me that all kids are taught english in school as a second language ... so safe to assume most Germans speak english well.

She also said that their school system has an "A" school and a "B" school. The "A" school is for smart kids that will be moving on to college.

It is very competitive to get into the "A" school. Kids that don't make the "A" school will go to the "B" school and will be taught a trade. (auto mechanic, plumber, electrician, etc)

Just makes too much sense.

Where I'm from (MA), they pool all the kids together and teach to the slowest student. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND.  I can't imagine most of american kids being fluent in a second language.

The smart kids (mine) are bored out of their skull instead of being pushed and expanding their limits.  In high school they finally are able to take advanced classes but sooo much time wasted before then. Seems this is why other countries are kicking our tails in smarts.

I thought my state was higher up the food chain on the primary education scale than most states  ... but this system is horrible. Is it like this in every state? How can it be worse?

are you suggesting that American isn't the #1 language and that my kids might need to learn another one that's not American? in America?

Like that pretty much everywhere unless youre shelling out for a private school.

My school system they split the kids into classes and levels and do offer trades as well  vocational schools. The school system requires a 2nd language to be learned as well.

It seems to be easier for other countries to have kids focus on just learning English where as in America there are numerous other languages to chose from which are difficult to make are kids focus...they they choose.

Instead of dumb I would use the phrase "purposely stupid". In other words they are proud of it.

The language thing is tough because it makes sense for other cultures to learn English because it’s basically the universal language in the business world

in America how do you determine what 2nd language to learn?  Spanish, German, French, Mandarin, Japanese?  All would have come in handy for me at some point, but in about 99% of cases the other persons English is much better than what I know of their language 

also id expect real time translation apps to render a lot of that a moot point

the 2 (or 3) tier education system is interesting, but how do you know you’re not holding back somebody who will develop excellent study habits in high school and college based on how they learn in elementary school?

i do know our city has a STEM middle school but im not sure what the qualifications are, plus I want my kids to have the opportunity to go to middle school with dumb slutty chicks

IMAX 3D said:

The language thing is tough because it makes sense for other cultures to learn English because it’s basically the universal language in the business world

in America how do you determine what 2nd language to learn?  Spanish, German, French, Mandarin, Japanese?  All would have come in handy for me at some point, but in about 99% of cases the other persons English is much better than what I know of their language 

also id expect real time translation apps to render a lot of that a moot point

the 2 (or 3) tier education system is interesting, but how do you know you’re not holding back somebody who will develop excellent study habits in high school and college based on how they learn in elementary school?

i do know our city has a STEM middle school but im not sure what the qualifications are, plus I want my kids to have the opportunity to go to middle school with dumb slutty chicks

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The bolded is a poor excuse for choosing to learn none of them.

IMAX 3D said:

The language thing is tough because it makes sense for other cultures to learn English because it’s basically the universal language in the business world

in America how do you determine what 2nd language to learn?  Spanish, German, French, Mandarin, Japanese?  All would have come in handy for me at some point, but in about 99% of cases the other persons English is much better than what I know of their language 

also id expect real time translation apps to render a lot of that a moot point

the 2 (or 3) tier education system is interesting, but how do you know you’re not holding back somebody who will develop excellent study habits in high school and college based on how they learn in elementary school?

i do know our city has a STEM middle school but im not sure what the qualifications are, plus I want my kids to have the opportunity to go to middle school with dumb slutty chicks

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I would guess they test into or out of the "A" school from year to year.

In the same idea as not holding back a kid that develops well ... a kid that makes it and slacks off would be demoted to the "B" school the following year.

Would make sense if it is very competitive to get in ... likely competitive to stay there. 

Just guessing tho.

Has nothing to do with where you're going with this, but reading the thread title, the first thing that popped into my head....

2 weeks ago I was in the New Orleans airport waiting on a flight back to DC.  Went to get a bag of chips and a soda as the flight was delayed.  Guy in front of me in line had a dog with a vest on it saying "Autism Service Dog" or something very similar - he was obviously the dog's handler and was flying the dog to it's new owners.  The cashier lady even had a short conversation with the handler about the dog.  He paid for his items and walked away.

I put my items down and was reaching for my wallet when she looked at me and said, "I didn't know dogs could have autism." 

Other than the language thing, I think smart Americans are smart. We tend to be arrogant so a lot of people see learning another language as a waste. There’s not a big incentive tonlearn a new language. American culture is very pervasive in other places and many kids learn English through our music and movies. 

There is a real pride in some swaths of America in not being book smart or too educated. For example, I met the parents of a wonderful honors student. Her parents were really nice, easy going, intelligent normal people. She was a manager at a large retail chain and he did real estate.Yet for some reason they wanted to express their displeasure in our HS English class for reading things like Romeo and Juliet and To Kill a a Mockingbird. They didn’t see the point in reading books and plays because she wasn’t going to get a job in a useless field like writing poems. He thought colleges should get rid of useless things like philosophy. They were also upset she got a World Religion class because she was a Christian, Jesus was the only real god and their daughter wasn’t going to become Buddhist all of a sudden. They are good parents and have helped push their daughter into success but there was a definite anti intellectual/cultural attitude. I would guess they wouldn’t have thought her taking French or Spanish was useful.

Being "Book Smart" is important, but is not the only thing. That being said, there is a certain level of book smartness, if you will, that is important to have. I think of it in these two scenarios:

I have two job openings at a business that is working on a cure for cancer. The 1st position is for a research scientist. I believe I am likely to hire the nerdiest, book smartest person I can find and put them on the task.  

For the 2nd job opening, I am hiring someone to manage the scientists looking for the cure for cancer and the position also requires delivering regular reports to the investors in this cure, I am not hiring the most book smart person I can find, but someone who understands the science and can also manage people and interface effectively with other parts of the operation. In my experience, the person who is the most book smart, is often times not the person who is the best fit for the 2nd position. 

I will add that the world in which we live, knowing a 2nd language is an incredibly valuable skill. One could argue, after English, if the best language to know is Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, French, German etc. but knowing one of those languages gives that person a significant advantage in the work force. I don't know how you could argue against that, even if you are employed in a "trade". I have a friend who is an attorney, who knows English, but is also fluent in Spanish. A HUGE part of his practice is representing people who are more comfortable conversing in Spanish even if the court system is in English. One could argue that he is not the most "book smart" attorney in the area, but his other skills other than being book smart give him the ability to have a very successful law practice. 

Obviously not what the thread is focused on, but to say you can’t argue that knowing a second language is a significant advantage is simply not true. In fact, for most people, there is zero advantage, let alone a significant one. Your attorney friend is benefiting from a niche that does not apply in most jobs. 

Abolish the Department of Education?  

Leroy Hoard said:

Instead of dumb I would use the phrase "purposely stupid". In other words they are proud of it.

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We prefer “blissfully ignorant”, Einstein.

Bossman said:

Quick search didn't show a topic started ... so I'll start my rant with a fresh one.

While on vacation in Cancun, met a young lady from Germany. I asked her how her english was spoken so well. 

She told me that all kids are taught english in school as a second language ... so safe to assume most Germans speak english well.

She also said that their school system has an "A" school and a "B" school. The "A" school is for smart kids that will be moving on to college.

It is very competitive to get into the "A" school. Kids that don't make the "A" school will go to the "B" school and will be taught a trade. (auto mechanic, plumber, electrician, etc)

Just makes too much sense.

Where I'm from (MA), they pool all the kids together and teach to the slowest student. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND.  I can't imagine most of american kids being fluent in a second language.

The smart kids (mine) are bored out of their skull instead of being pushed and expanding their limits.  In high school they finally are able to take advanced classes but sooo much time wasted before then. Seems this is why other countries are kicking our tails in smarts.

I thought my state was higher up the food chain on the primary education scale than most states  ... but this system is horrible. Is it like this in every state? How can it be worse?

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Welcome to Liberal America!

Nugget said:

Abolish the Department of Education?  

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zed2283 said:

Welcome to Liberal America!

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I guess it's time to move this to the Political SF

Schools in Germany also don't take the entire summer off. I believe it is 6 weeks, with other breaks throughout the  year. 

I was in Germany, with my family 2 summers ago, visiting my wife's uncle and aunt. The uncle is a professor at a Berlin University and the aunt is a teacher at an elementary school. While on the train, three teens were sitting across the aisle from my wife and when the train took a wide turn one of the teens pushed another onto my wife. Before I could say anything my wife's aunt stood up and went full school teacher mode on them. 

I didn't know what she was saying, but looking at the kid's faces and body language, I could tell they were ashamed of themselves. They got up at the next stop, apologized in English, and walked off the train. She later told us that she told them that she knew that they were taught how to behave in public and that the woman they slammed into was a guest in their country and you are ambassadors for Germany. 

My teenage daughters said, "No way are we going to tick off Aunt D for the remainder of the weekend." 

quick google search ... this is the first list that popped up:

Smartest Countries

Smartest Countries Based on Math & Science (2015):

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong

3. South Korea

4. Japan (tie)

4. Taiwan (tie)

6. Finland

7. Estonia

8. Switzerland

9. Netherlands

10. Canada

11. Poland

12. Vietnam

13. Germany

14. Australia

15. Ireland

16. Belgium

17. New Zealand

18. Slovenia

19. Austria

20. United Kingdom

21. Czech Republic

22. Denmark

23. France

24. Latvia

25. Norway

26. Luxembourg

27. Spain

28. Italy (tie)

28. United States (tie)

30. Portugal

Nugget said:

Abolish the Department of Education?  

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You could, they don't really do as much as you think though. The States control education. 

Bossman said:

quick google search ... this is the first list that popped up:

Smartest Countries

Smartest Countries Based on Math & Science (2015):

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong

3. South Korea

4. Japan (tie)

4. Taiwan (tie)

6. Finland

7. Estonia

8. Switzerland

9. Netherlands

10. Canada

11. Poland

12. Vietnam

13. Germany

14. Australia

15. Ireland

16. Belgium

17. New Zealand

18. Slovenia

19. Austria

20. United Kingdom

21. Czech Republic

22. Denmark

23. France

24. Latvia

25. Norway

26. Luxembourg

27. Spain

28. Italy (tie)

28. United States (tie)

30. Portugal

Click to expand...

US also has the one of the highest child poverty rates in the 1st world. 

Fwiw, there's a huge group of Americans that must be really smart like the germans, since they're also bilingual: immigants.

Cjw_55106 said:

Obviously not what the thread is focused on, but to say you can’t argue that knowing a second language is a significant advantage is simply not true. In fact, for most people, there is zero advantage, let alone a significant one. Your attorney friend is benefiting from a niche that does not apply in most jobs. 

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Estás equivocado, pendejo.

Bossman said:

quick google search ... this is the first list that popped up:

Smartest Countries

Smartest Countries Based on Math & Science (2015):

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong

3. South Korea

4. Japan (tie)

4. Taiwan (tie)

6. Finland

7. Estonia

8. Switzerland

9. Netherlands

10. Canada

11. Poland

12. Vietnam

13. Germany

14. Australia

15. Ireland

16. Belgium

17. New Zealand

18. Slovenia

19. Austria

20. United Kingdom

21. Czech Republic

22. Denmark

23. France

24. Latvia

25. Norway

26. Luxembourg

27. Spain

28. Italy (tie)

28. United States (tie)

30. Portugal

Click to expand...

Suck it @comfortably numb

Bossman said:

quick google search ... this is the first list that popped up:

Smartest Countries

Smartest Countries Based on Math & Science (2015):

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong

3. South Korea

4. Japan (tie)

4. Taiwan (tie)

6. Finland

7. Estonia

8. Switzerland

9. Netherlands

10. Canada

11. Poland

12. Vietnam

13. Germany

14. Australia

15. Ireland

16. Belgium

17. New Zealand

18. Slovenia

19. Austria

20. United Kingdom

21. Czech Republic

22. Denmark

23. France

24. Latvia

25. Norway

26. Luxembourg

27. Spain

28. Italy (tie)

28. United States (tie)

30. Portugal

Click to expand...

My favorite part of this is that the entire system that they use to teach math in Singapore is available to utilize (and they teach it in English), but instead most of the states utilize a standard curriculum that is, empirically speaking, garbage. 

Bossman said:

quick google search ... this is the first list that popped up:

Smartest Countries

Smartest Countries Based on Math & Science (2015):

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong

3. South Korea

4. Japan (tie)

4. Taiwan (tie)

6. Finland

7. Estonia

8. Switzerland

9. Netherlands

10. Canada

11. Poland

12. Vietnam

13. Germany

14. Australia

15. Ireland

16. Belgium

17. New Zealand

18. Slovenia

19. Austria

20. United Kingdom

21. Czech Republic

22. Denmark

23. France

24. Latvia

25. Norway

26. Luxembourg

27. Spain

28. Italy (tie)

28. United States (tie)

30. Portugal

Click to expand...

TAKE THAT PORTUGAL!!!!

Bossman said:

Where I'm from (MA), they pool all the kids together and teach to the slowest student. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND.  

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This is a misconception.  Maybe it doesn’t apply to Massachusetts but that’s not the way it works.  

There will always be kids that aren’t challenged enough but it’s not like you have 28 kids bored out of their minds while we cater to 2 lower level kids.

Officer Pete Malloy said:

This is a misconception.  Maybe it doesn’t apply to Massachusetts but that’s not the way it works.  

There will always be kids that aren’t challenged enough but it’s not like you have 28 kids bored out of their minds while we cater to 2 lower level kids.

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Agreed, most kids where I work find school rather challenging. 

Ilov80s said:

Agreed, most kids where I work find school rather challenging. 

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Yep.  And any teacher worth his/her Expo markers knows how adapt curriculum to individual students.

fruity pebbles said:

Like that pretty much everywhere unless youre shelling out for a private school.

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What?

Our school district starts separating kids in 5th grade.  

Ilov80s said:

Agreed, most kids where I work find school rather challenging. 

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Really? What state? ... cus we're tied for 28th. Maybe the rest of the country is dragging your state down? 

Officer Pete Malloy said:

Yep.  And any teacher worth his/her Expo markers knows how adapt curriculum to individual students.

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What percentage of teachers adapt curriculum to individual students in your guestimation? To get the most out of each student. We're talking public schools.

Because tied for 28th sound like it may be less than 2%.

Just look at any evening's TV lineup. It's pretty apparent the LCD have taken over.

We have this iReady LMS system in FL that they use for testing & more.   I'm thinking of pulling my kid out of the A public school he is in just because of it.  They treat this garbage software like the holy Grail.  They spend so much time getting them to use this boring, laggy, wanna-be ABC Mouse, that they neglect other areas.  I have a friend who is a teacher that said they are just now going to buy the books associated with the software.  It is slow, and repetitive, so the kids are just clicking away not caring.  Then it makes them redo the exact same lessons over and over.  It's so mind numbing for them, yet they spend so much time on it.  

Bossman said:

Really? What state? ... cus we're tied for 28th. Maybe the rest of the country is dragging your state down? 

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Michigan’s education system isn’t doing well. Schools are only as good as the raw ingredients they are given. We have a lot of poor kids with uneducated parents and low levels of motivation, attendance problems, etc. It’s something crazy like over half the parents of my district students don’t have a high school diploma. About 80% of our students qualify for at-risk (poverty, homeless, victims of abuse, English second language, etc). 

Child poverty is a major issue.

RedmondLonghorn said:

Estás equivocado, pendejo.

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No, it’s a cardigan, but thanks for noticing. 

Bossman said:

She also said that their school system has an "A" school and a "B" school. The "A" school is for smart kids that will be moving on to college.

It is very competitive to get into the "A" school. Kids that don't make the "A" school will go to the "B" school and will be taught a trade. (auto mechanic, plumber, electrician, etc)

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The trade or apprenticeship programs in Germany are no joke. They are extremely competitive at a company like Deutschbank or Daimler. By the time these kids are 19 or 20, if they’ve done the work, they are essentially engineers, chemists, accountants, but with years of on the job practical learning and testing. The companies have invested millions into their apprentice programs and the certification can be extremely valuable, setting these kids up for life if they play it right. I had a friend who was apprenticing in house cleaning / janitorial area. She knew all manner of different fabrics, dyes, cleaners, woods, metals, etc. She could fix and maintain the equipment.  She learned bookkeeping, purchasing, HR stuff. She was tested on all this stuff. It’s quite a bit different compared to what we consider an apprenticeship over here. 

Bossman said:

quick google search ... this is the first list that popped up:

Smartest Countries

Smartest Countries Based on Math & Science (2015):

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong

3. South Korea

4. Japan (tie)

4. Taiwan (tie)

6. Finland

7. Estonia

8. Switzerland

9. Netherlands

10. Canada

11. Poland

12. Vietnam

13. Germany

14. Australia

15. Ireland

16. Belgium

17. New Zealand

18. Slovenia

19. Austria

20. United Kingdom

21. Czech Republic

22. Denmark

23. France

24. Latvia

25. Norway

26. Luxembourg

27. Spain

28. Italy (tie)

28. United States (tie)

30. Portugal

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Hey, at least we’re better than Panama at something

IMAX 3D said:

Suck it @comfortably numb

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Our soccer B team will keep the US out of the 2022 world cup!

I will say, all my cousins in Portugal speak at least 4 languages. A large part of the older people (even my parents/aunts/uncles) in the country which is a large portion of the ~11M living there don't have an education past the 4th grade level. 

fruity pebbles said:

Like that pretty much everywhere unless youre shelling out for a private school.

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Private school being better is also a myth. It really depends on the individual public and private school. 

DallasDMac said:

Just look at any evening's TV lineup. It's pretty apparent the LCD have taken over.

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I love TV but fractions are hard.

El Floppo said:

Fwiw, there's a huge group of Americans that must be really smart like the germans, since they're also bilingual: immigants.

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Look at that smart country list. We should obviously stop importing smart people since the US is just fine as it is.

There's actually a middle tier in the German system.

The top tier, Gymnasium, puts kids on a university track.  It is pretty tough.  My 7th grader just took a math test where they were doing triangle constructions harder than anything I did in HS geometry.  They also must choose between French and Latin as a third language to learn.  Like America, they complete school after 12 years although this year's 5th graders and younger will go 13 years.

Realschule is the middle tier.  They finish after ten years when they can try and test in to Gymnasium.  These kids will usually take internships on completion as secretaries, bank tellers, managing warehouses/logistics.

Mittelschule is te school where they typically learn a trade.  They finish after 8 years and usually go straight to an apprenticeship in fields such as plumbing, electrical, farming, etc.  They can test out at any time to go to RS.  My son's best friend was in MS and moved up last year.

DallasDMac said:

Just look at any evening's TV lineup. It's pretty apparent the LCD have taken over.

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You need to upgrade to OLED.

IMAX 3D said:

Suck it @comfortably numb

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bicycle_seat_sniffer said:

TAKE THAT PORTUGAL!!!!

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To be fair, the latest rankings have Portugal ahead of US;

PISA Worldwide Rankings - Math / Science / Reading

Math is a language, but many Americans don't know that one either.

Also make note that we aren't actually getting dumber as it relates to those PISA scores.

On the mathematics literacy section, the U.S. even notched its lowest score to date at 470; this represents a decline from the previous two tests, but it is not statistically significantly different from its first-ever score in 2003. Overall, American PISA scores on all sections have been relatively flat over the test’s history, with no statistically significant change between the score on each section’s first year and the 2015 scores

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https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2017/04/07/what-international-test-scores-reveal-about-american-education/.

There is another international test that shows the U.S. has made gains

However, the U.S. has consistently performed better on TIMSS. Fourth grade scores have largely stayed above the international mean, with math results improving significantly over time—518 in 1995 grew to 539 in 2015—and science scores remaining steady around 540. Eighth grade TIMSS scores show statistically significant gains in both math and science over the test’s history: Math rose from 492 to 518, while science increased from 513 to 530.

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Even with PISA, those raw number rankings aren't what they seem to be. You have to understand statistics and stastical significance when looking at sample sizes:

The U.S. score in reading is tied for 23rd place, but its true ranking is more complicated than that: When statistical significance is taken into account, 14 systems scored higher than the U.S., 13 scored about the same, and a considerable 42 scored lower.

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Short Corner said:

There's actually a middle tier in the German system.

The top tier, Gymnasium, puts kids on a university track.  It is pretty tough.  My 7th grader just took a math test where they were doing triangle constructions harder than anything I did in HS geometry.  They also must choose between French and Latin as a third language to learn.  Like America, they complete school after 12 years although this year's 5th graders and younger will go 13 years.

Realschule is the middle tier.  They finish after ten years when they can try and test in to Gymnasium.  These kids will usually take internships on completion as secretaries, bank tellers, managing warehouses/logistics.

Mittelschule is te school where they typically learn a trade.  They finish after 8 years and usually go straight to an apprenticeship in fields such as plumbing, electrical, farming, etc.  They can test out at any time to go to RS.  My son's best friend was in MS and moved up last year.

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interesting

but also, a bit caste system'ish seemingly?

i was a middling student, mostly because of indifference. i'd have been stuck going in to a trade. i'm not handy at all. maybe it would have been a better match for my energy levels/need to keep busy... but i'm now working in the financial industry, which probably would have been closed to me because of my school performance.

interesting idea, though

mr. furley said:

interesting

but also, a bit caste system'ish seemingly?

i was a middling student, mostly because of indifference. i'd have been stuck going in to a trade. i'm not handy at all. maybe it would have been a better match for my energy levels/need to keep busy... but i'm now working in the financial industry, which probably would have been closed to me because of my school performance.

interesting idea, though

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1.  Indifference is a son of a #####.  People just aren't going to learn what they are not interested in.  Making things interesting and relevant is very difficult.

2. You've touched on one of the reasons such a system would be very troublesome in the US.  You can't close doors on people.  We have freedom to pursue our dreams/goals even if we are crappy in school.  Unfortunately, too many aren't willing to accept the responsibilities that come with those freedoms.  But there are also many people who figure it out at some point along the way and are just fine in their pursuits.

IMO too many people here think school owes their kid everything and any education HAS to come from them. In the primary ages, yes the school should be very on top of the student and guiding them, but as they get older, the responsibility is on them to get the most fo of school. Likewise, there is less and less educational support at home. 2 income or single parent families, non-english speaking support, over-after school activities all contribute to less time spent at home reinforcing the material/homework, etc. Plus, too many parents are not using the teacher as an ally, but instead an adversary  

People expect teachers to be role models, babysitters, educators and parents—who only get the kid for 6-8 hours a day. The rest f the time, the kid is home in unknown and uncontrolled conditions, but everyone wonders why the teacher sucks. 

Galileo said:

1.  Indifference is a son of a #####.  People just aren't going to learn what they are not interested in.  Making things interesting and relevant is very difficult.

2. You've touched on one of the reasons such a system would be very troublesome in the US.  You can't close doors on people.  We have freedom to pursue our dreams/goals even if we are crappy in school.  Unfortunately, too many aren't willing to accept the responsibilities that come with those freedoms.  But there are also many people who figure it out at some point along the way and are just fine in their pursuits.

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Nobody is closing doors on anyone.  They are closing doors on themselves.

glvsav37 said:

IMO too many people here think school owes their kid everything and any education HAS to come from them. In the primary ages, yes the school should be very on top of the student and guiding them, but as they get older, the responsibility is on them to get the most fo of school. Likewise, there is less and less educational support at home. 2 income or single parent families, non-english speaking support, over-after school activities all contribute to less time spent at home reinforcing the material/homework, etc. Plus, too many parents are not using the teacher as an ally, but instead an adversary  

People expect teachers to be role models, babysitters, educators and parents—who only get the kid for 6-8 hours a day. The rest f the time, the kid is home in unknown and uncontrolled conditions, but everyone wonders why the teacher sucks. 

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So our high school (like most I assume) has all grades online. The moment a teacher puts an assignment into the gradebook, it is available for the students and parents to see through a log-in they have through our website. We also send email/text blasts out every 3 weeks reminding parents/students to check their grades and provide the link as well as contact info if they need help logging in, forgot their password, etc. Yet it is amazing how many times a teacher will get a call from the parent of a 16 year old complaining why they were never told that their kid wasn't turning in their work and can the kid turn in the work late and it's not fair if their kid fails. Also I love the parents whom I do call about something and they tell me how often they log-on to see their kids grades without knowing I can see how many times the parent has logged in and the number is 0. Or we have 16 year old kids at the end of a semester who want to make up everything they missed or did bad on because they didn't know they were failing. GTFO. 

Schools have never made it easier for kids and parents to stay on top of things. Every teacher in my school has a Google Classroom website where every assignment, set of notes, videos, lectures, answer keys, practice tests, etc. are placed. Yet a teenager will miss 2 days of class and never turn any of their missing work in. A week later when it all goes into the gradebook as a zero the the kid will tell the parent the teacher never told them they missed anything and the teacher never gave him the missing work. Teacher tells the parent that the kid knows everything we do is posted day by day on the website. The parent is then upset the teacher won't let the student make up the work 10 days later instead of being mad at the kid for playing dumb. 
 

There are a lot of hard working kids and a lot on the ball parents so this isn't everyone, but I work in low SES very working class area and it's probably 40% of the kids/parents. I think some of you non-teachers would be shocked to see what the general public is actually like. For managers and business owners, imagine having a job where you couldn't fire an employee for anything less than bringing a weapon to work or threatening to kill people at work. Sleeping all day every day. Can't fire them. Not able to do even the most basic tasks? Can't fire them. Refuse to bring basic supplies? Nope. Tell you to your face that they hate you and won't do anything. You have to keep them. Are always rude to other workers and when in groups they sabotage the group through negligence or spite? You must keep them around. One kid this year asked for a pencil. I gave him a brand new pencil. He said "I'm not getting up to sharpen it." He tossed it on the floor and put his head down. Awesome. I just have to deal with him and try to beg, plead, demand, compliment, whatever this kid for the whole year to try and get hime to do something. No matter what anyone says, I know it is not my or the school systems fault that this kid will get a 10 on the ACT.