Cass,

You only demonstrate your ignorance when you open your mouth, or in this case, use your keyboard. To put the entire blame and the shortcomings of our education system where you obviously do, the teachers, shows really how little you understand what actually goes on, both in and out of a classroom.

Would you think that because the US leads the world in divorce rate it might have a little impact on both the ability and the responsibility of the students and their parents to uphold their end of the bargain? The US divorce rate is 8 times as great as that of China and Japan didn't even make the top 34 countries.

That's only one aspect, there are many more. Not excuses, just facts. (we all know how much you love those, as long as they're from your sources). We should be failing the students who don't deserve to move ahead, but in order to avoid costly lawsuits from a lawsuit crazy society, it's simply more economical to let society worry about them and pass them. No, it's not right, but until you get administrators to stand up and fight and judges to throw out the frivolous law suits, it's just going to continue.

Or just maybe more of those children are hungrier, both literally and figuratively and want to work harder to make themselves better and more successful. They're not being spoiled by Mommy and Daddy and actually know what's it's like to work hard. They're raised to work that hard. We've gotten soft and lazy.

What types of roles models do a lot of our children have to look up to at home? How many of those parents instill a work ethic that is required to be the best? The answer is not enough. We have too many people comfortable in underachieving and knowing that they'll be provided for on the back of those who do work hard. And that statement does not reference or mean to slight those that want to work but cannot find it at the moment.

What about the single mom who is trying to raise 3 kids and has to work multiple jobs, so no one is around to supervise the kids and make sure their homework is done or help them study for tests? Is that the teachers fault too? It's not their fault, but many of them take some of those kids under their wings and spend time with them before or after school if they're aware that their home life is difficult like that. But those don't count for you. You're so jaded you could shadow a teacher for a week and still not give them credit for anything. But I know one thing, you'd be dead tired at the end of the week because you're not sitting behind your desk all day.

But if you think it's so easy to do, get your degree and pass on your wealth of knowledge as a high school business or computer teacher.

But you'd never do that, because they're so much beneath you and your higher calling.

So before you sit there (literally) and spout off about things from behind your keyboard in your 8-5 job, with a lunch hour, smoke breaks if you need them and chatting around the coffee station and/water cooler, you should understand you're exactly the type of derisive person that has been talked about so much this week. Every one of your posts is the same. Negative.

Stop being part of the problem and attempt to be part of the solution. But mostly, stop being part of the problem.