
The profession of teaching has long been viewed by many as a noble and worthy pursuit. Indeed, educators across the world have great responsibility to influence the youngest generations of humanity in a positive way. While parents and the social upbringing of a child within the home undoubtedly plays a larger role in the long term trajectory of the mannerisms and character of a child, teachers and the educational environment in which they are present are a close second in terms of influence. While many individuals may recall for many years the impact that a good and able teacher has on the mind and impressions of a youth, bad teachers are equally as remembered. It is no secret that the American education system is in a poor state. in a recent report by NPR, United States reading scores (along with mathematics) dropped to their lowest average levels since the 1970’s in 2023.
In truth, across the board, American children are struggling in terms of academics. It seems that in public schools everywhere, students are simply not striving as a whole for academic success. In the summer, the National Center for Education Statistics published results from two standardized tests. Given to 13 year old children, these scores showed widespread declines in scores in comparison to 2013 numbers. A notable decline occurred in the subjects of civics and American history, showing that the nation’s youth as a whole has a poor understanding of the history and the nature of their federal political structure.
Horrifically, a teacher who was recently married has been arrested in Iowa. Only months after her wedding, Cassidy Kraus, aged 24, was arrested on two counts of lascivious acts with a child among other charges. The youngest male student she was involved with was 13 years old. Kraus reportedly engaged in lewd acts with children multiple times. The integrity of the moral fabric of America is truly seriously deteriorating.