Easy now, wife retired after 38 years as a High School teacher. She was the History Dept chair for years, taught AP and Dual Credit classes (College credit). She was known to be very tough but fair. Her students had to WRITE coherent papers properly for a grade.
I retired as a heavy equipment mechanic and went to work at the same school. For almost 4 years I had the In School Suspension class. Where students that get in trouble go. Turns out I like the students, especially the knuckle heads. No phones, stay awake and we get missing assignments done.
Never met a teacher that did not care for their students or taught something not useful. The administration tried hard to make a suitable environment for learning. I can be as critical as the next guy, they did a good job.
I don't care who you are, you are not going to fix a broken home, drug using parents, absent fathers or abuse in a few hours a day.
The good news is the students are normal teenagers. They will be the ones who work like we do. They are the soldiers we have in the Middle East right now. A few will be the doctors, pharmacists, mechanics, engineers, and others we depend on. Yes, there will be the criminals as well, but a very small percentage.
Don
