I think you're being unfair to teachers. I'm sure there's plenty of bad apples but I can't fault teachers for being unmotivated when their working conditions suck most of the time. Public schools are full of kids who don't give a shit, so why should they?
>>139>It's already the case that some teachers at the more highly ranked public schools are qualified and knowledgeable about their subject. At my own high school there were quite a few teachers who attended prestigious universities and some who held multiple degrees.I got into a similar high school in a period of transition where they were loosening their admission criteria to allow students from less privileged backgrounds a chance for a better standard of education (ironic, considering I was from a less privileged background and would have managed to get in regardless). Garbage bins were set on fire, the school got filled with graffiti, there were a couple of cases of violent robbery within school premises and on a couple of occasions crowds composed of people who had no affiliation with the school would gather outside waiting for a student to get out to settle scores. The student council ceased to exist and afterschool activities ceased to function one after the other as equipment was broken. Teaching standards took a nose dive but the teaching staff was virtually the same. For the record, Mr. racial realist lurker, the school's ethnic makeup didn't change.