[Politics/Religion/schools] WTF is wrong with our schools?

From the other thread.

Last year I was able to volunteer at my boys' school and sat in on all their classes for a short time. When in the 4th grade I noticed there was no structure. The kids got up whenever, were in little groups just talking and the teacher was sitting at her desk either looking at her computer or talking to a student about something. I never saw any teaching or learning going on both times I was there.

FF to yesterday and my son tells me about his math class.

WTF!

When I was in 4th and 5th grade we almost never got out of our seat, we never talked to other kids, we did work, learned, did some projects at our desk. Maybe I am remembering wrong or maybe it's because I went to Catholic school but this wouldn't have happened then.

And we were not taught to a test, TASK, TASS, PASSMEBECAUSENOCHILDISLEFTBEHIND.
 

I'm not sure that you can make a generalization about the quality of the school based on observing just two days. Maybe you should have questioned the teacher if that's what goes on during a typical day and expressed your concerns.

FWIW, from what I remember (and I went to public schools my entire life. Well, up until 12th grade anyway.) 4th grade wasn't all that structured. I definitely remember many instances of group activities and sitting on the floor around the teacher. It wasn't until the 5th grade that things got serious: sitting at desks, having assigned seats, raising your hand to be excused to go to the rest room, doing book reports, daily homework, yadda, yadda, yadda.