teachers do not want to be babysitters, but when you have overstuffed classrooms, no prep time, no equipment, hungry kids, etc etc what are you able to do?
Not to mention state-mandated testing regimes that have nothing to do with actual student learning, hyper-local control of education in elected school boards whose members are often as dumb as a box of rocks, extreme pressure from administrators to get kids through so their performance numbers are juiced rather than actually taking whatever time is needed for those students to accomplish what they need to, etc. I’m a public school teacher. I never cease to be impressed how very little people who don’t work in education understand about the realities of education.
I don't see what point you're trying to make. Sure, we could make education better by spending more on it, but the voters don't want to, so it's not going to happen. Given that society is not willing to spend more on education what can we do with the budget we have?
I think we've tried the "we could make education better by spending more on it" method. Based on the current state of public education, I don't know that this approach has been proven correct.
1. Citations for the claim that we are spending more for the same results would be productive... but I believe it.
2. I believe the problem is that the extra money is not going to proven-effective programs and teachers. There is some question to me whether anything is proven effective... in spite of whatever you read in books written for teachers.
3. The parent comment is pretty nihilistic. Try to propose something that you think might improve the status quo. (E.g., the comments about the highest impact of extra spending being in social services instead.)