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<p>I posted those anecdotes to counter a seemingly common narrative that it’s mostly/all the teachers’ fault. I’m trying to illustrate that it’s stretching it to hold them accountable for factors out of their control such as violent neighborhoods/students, neglectful parents, willfully lazy/disengaged students, litigation-adverse school admins/schoolboards, a societal culture which disdains anyone who’s an academic achiever or “smart”, effects of poverty, etc. </p>
<p>Moreover, I mentioned parents and students because in most discussion of US K-12 problems in the mass media and sometimes even here on cc, it seems everyone piles on the teachers while little/no mention is made about the responsibility of the parents and the students…especially the students who seen to get what IMHO is an undeserved free pass.</p>