From my stint as an adjunct professor my observation is that the students on the top end of the bell curve are going to be there no matter who their teacher is. The really don't need to go to class and pick up the material from the text book and just need an occasionally clarification. ~60% of the class really benefits from a good teacher, and suffers with a mediocre one. Those lagging behind either simply don't care, or are so far lost that they need extensive tutoring far beyond what a teacher has the time for.
Agreed.
You're either blind or ignorant if you don't see the socialist / social engineering slant of public schools. All three of our kids went K-12 public schools, the left lean of the teaching staff isn't even remotely hidden and it's just getting worse.
Everything they need to know is laid out on the State syllabus. The tests they take or took are available on line. Every assignment the teacher gives is available on line. The teacher can be contacted any time (due to the nature of my classes I freely give parents my phone number, if I'm awake I'll answer the phone), teachers HAVE to meet with parents on request, I am available most every day on a walk-in basis after school. You can bet anything I say is reported to parents, every day. Do you really think I could get away with anything?
I'm puzzled that folks think that kids follow their teacher's opinions that blindly. Again, look to where they are looking on the 'net.
And the standards I have to meet are the from the State of Texas, or more often with what I do, colleges around the country.
