In Texas, the teachers spend their days, and most of the school year, teaching the basics (e.g., noun + verb + direct object = basic sentence; 1 + 1 = 2) OVER AND OVER, EVERY YEAR, so that the students MIGHT BE ABLE to pass the state-mandated basic-skills test and advance to the next grade. Of course, they don't use Nintendo or text messaging to do this, so the kids can't be bothered to learn. And, better not expect all the students to speak in English, much less write in that language, because if you do, you're a racist harassing them and trying to belittle their culture. Here's a really good one. My younger sister teaches pre-school. Her class is composed of 3 and 4 years olds. The parents of most of the 3-year-olds haven't bothered to potty train their children. When confronted about this issue, they comment, "Why should I potty train my kid? You're the teacher!"