[fmstephe]

Yeah, I have the impression this is true in a number of places. It does appear to be particularly pronounced in the US (from the view from my bubble).

I worry that reducing the respect given to teachers will result in fewer outstanding people choosing teaching as a career path.

From the smattering of events I noted above I do get the impression that teachers are operating scared. That they perceive that they are reluctant to make judgement calls that involve any kind of bureaucratic risk (as in the Kiera case). That zero tolerance approach seems to be a symptom of this fear and I have a lot of sympathy for both the teachers and the students. Its seems like a real shame :(