Gosh Mark, I don't know where to begin. Or where to end for that matter.
There are so many things wrong but no simple answers.
For one, new teachers are not given enough support in many districts. They have only had student teaching as experience and in most cases that has been in good school systems. The teaching colleges don't send prospective teachers to bad schools as they may not get proper training from an experienced teacher. Hence the student teacher is not exposed to the reality of the below average classroom which is probably what their first job will be. New teachers are rarely given an easy class, in fact most likely they are given the class no one else wants. So what happens, well of course they are beaten down before they get a chance to succeed and feel that they can continue. That's why so many teachers leave within the first few years. They thought they were going to enrich young lives but instead they find themselves dealing with overcrowded classroom filled with disrespectful children. More support and assistance for new teachers is a must if we expect them to stay.
Small classes are a necessity in this day and age. Years ago kids could be expected to sit and pay attention and wait for a teacher to come around to help them. Not today. They are demanding immediate gratification and personal interaction with the teacher in an instantaneous response time. It takes a superhuman effort on the part of the teacher to keep the kids attentive and interested in what is being taught. And todays' kids are so tuned in to video that ironically a dull filmed lesson will often hold their attention better than one done in person. They just become like robots when the TV (or computer) screen is lit. It sometimes reminds me of that 1984 Apple commercial where they all are staring at the large screen.
Of course small classes and technology cost more money and what is the only budget that the public gets to vote on? Yep, the school budget which more often than not is rejected.
And then we come to the parents involvement, or lack of. The most telling single event is Back to School Night. Which parents come to visit the school and talk to the teacher about the curriculum and their child? Well of course it's the ones with the best students. The only time you get the parents of failing kids to come in is if they suddenly realize the kid may be in danger of being kept back instead of moving to the next grade. Actually that rarely occurs. These days they pass kids on anyway (social promotion) which has been probably the singularly worst trend that has enveloped education in the past 4 decades. What is the incentive to study if you know you will be passed anyway? Some schools have tried to change this procedure but the parents suddenly find their voices at board meetings when this subject comes up. Heaven forbid little Jennifer or Michael is not going to be with their friends in school.
As to discipline, much depends on the principal of the school and what backing is given the teachers. If the administration has a reputation of being strict then you have a chance to get control in your classroom. The kids all know which schools are lax and which are run on a short string. Teachers who know they will be supported by their supervisors will make the effort to confront unruly children and not fear being chastised or given a bad evaluation due to parental interference. I remember once refusing to give a final grade to a student who had not fulfilled an assignment that was mandatory. The alternative was to fail him. The principal was initially very upset because the parent was on the Board of Education. But I held my ground and the kid finally complied with what he was expected to do. I probably risked my job at that point but I never heard anything afterward. How may teachers have just given in and passed a kid under these circumstances. Lots. While the teacher may save his/her job, the kid is now moving on without the proper foundation, a failure looming ahead.
It may be that a certain number of kids would do well in an online situation but many would not without someone to focus their attention toward the specific lesson at hand. It takes a well disciplined mind to teach yourself and have the will to keep at it and not goof off. In many cases it boils down to the old saying that someone will do well at something if it interests them. That's kind of why I tried to introduce the kids to every possible media and as many ways to connect the arts and creativily to their life as possible. I figured that they would find at least one thing that they might enjoy and pursue.
I'm also thinking that uniforms in some school situations would take a lot of the envy and one-upmanship out of the classroom.
And some studies show that single sex classroom have advantages. I don't think a total sex segregation is advisable since they have to learn to get along with each other and compete to an extent but perhaps as an elective choice.
Lest I leave the impression that all is horrible in every school I must say that our local schools in my town have an excellent reputation. However it is also a very wealthy town and the schools have all the latest of everything, small classes, experienced teachers and very involved parents. Not what you find in most towns.
In the district where I taught it initially was your basic middle class community with concerned parents, decent facilities and very dedicated teachers. But in the early 90's we experienced a major population shift and within 10 years or so the only thing left were the dedicated teachers. Then the drain started. Now there are only a few left at my base school from when I was there.
Total burnout.
OK, I've gone on enough.
