re: #27 Sionainn

Having taught in schools with predominantly second language students in very poor neighborhoods, I certainly didn’t think those kids were “uneducable,” far from it. That being said, the students did come to school with a lot of baggage that teachers had to deal with - students who lived in homes with multiple families so there was no quiet place to do homework, let alone a bed to sleep in; students who hadn’t been read to or really talked to much about the world around them; students whose parents didn’t know how to help their child because they weren’t very well-educated themselves; kids who lived in a violent household, etc., etc., etc. They started school already lacking in basic skills and teachers do their best to bring them up to speed…at least I know I did as well as my fellow teachers. I don’t consider that an excuse, but simply a fact.

Yes, the facts of those circumstance certainly DO apply to some students - but surely not close to half?