3.) A seeming lack of appreciation for the profession. Once a career looked up to, now given no more respect than the guy who picks up your trash
The guy that picks up the trash, has a hard job and is very much under appreciated. I never hear him complaining about it. Granted, he most likely does not hold a BS in Sanitation Engineering but, He also doesn't get all summer off and makes around the same per year as an average teacher.
I can agree that parents are probably not doing the best they can to prepare there children for the class room. I know of no solution to that. (Aside from, barring people who watch MTV from having children)
The cost of education has sky rocketed, at the same time, the quality seems to be going down. If the price of curb side garbage removed had quadrupled in the last 20 years, and the garbage pick had become less reliable at the same time, We might start pointing fingers at the guy in the truck for it, weather or not it is his fault.