You certainly see first hand the problems that we face with the educational system in the US. Hopefully good teachers like you and your wife will continue to teach and not lose heart.

In regards to a basic high school education, your post reminded me of a Gordon Liddy show I listened to a few years back. He listed, verbatum, several questions that appeared on a typical eighth grade test from many years ago. I couldn't believe how difficult these questions were-- even for a typical college freshman by today's standards! Like you mentioned, unfortunately today's students' days are spent learning "social skills" and other usless things instead of the basic Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.

One of the greatest heros of my life is Anne Carroll, one of my high school teachers. She taught me how to form an outline and turn it into a coherant research paper, among many other things. She founded a high school while her husband founded a college. They've always given up the "good things" in life for their work and live in a small apartment in VA.

Sorry for the digression, but teachers like they never get the attention they deserve!