Maybe...just maybe, the reason these classes that you described are so difficult to manage is that most of these kids should be completely finished with formal education by the age of 13 and out into apprenticeships doing meaningful **work**.
Government schools look like prisons. In many ways they treat children ( whose only crime was being born) like prisoners. While in their prison-like “schools” all of their First Amendment Rights are either completely crushed or severely regulated and suppressed by government bureaucrats. Then, when they manifest prison social pathology the clueless government teachers blame the parents, the kids, taxpayers, legislators, ....everyone but themselves for cooperating for a system that crushes the spirit.
If our Founding Fathers were to be resurrected today they would be **HORRIFIED** to see how we treat children in the common, prison-like, government, socialist-entitlement school! When they advocated education for the nation's children, they likely had their **own** educations in mind. This included, homeschooling, private tutoring, a few years of one-room schooling organized by neighbors, dame schools, Sunday schools, and ( for those with the ability and wealth) small residential academies in the homes of high respected tutors to prepare for entrance into college as **young** teens.
They would be much more horrified at the behavior of the kids outside of school and their parents all the time.
When I taught, there was only one door the kids could come in and it was guarded by a city policeman. Why? To keep armed kids (5th to 12th grade) and armed adult drug dealers from coming in. Some got in anyway. That was the only exit during the day, as well. This was illegal since the fire doors were locked. The fire dept. did not enforce it. Why? If the doors (many) were unguarded, the kids would pop the doors open and let anyone in who wanted to come in.
Not all public schools are that way. Where I live, the kids are pretty much college bound and the parents are involved, so the craziness of the big city schools is not needed.
While in their prison-like “schools” all of their First Amendment Rights are either completely crushed or severely regulated and suppressed by government bureaucrats. Then, when they manifest prison social pathology the clueless government teachers blame the parents, the kids, taxpayers, legislators, ....everyone but themselves for cooperating for a system that crushes the spirit.
Uh, the teachers in the city schools I taught at were generally very good and some even excellent. Put them in a decent school and they would rock.
What ruined the kids was the government stupidity that helped ruin the kids' parents with their ignorant welfare system.