Sometimes it has nothing to do with the quality of the school or the teachers. Sometimes it's just about it being the best possible learning environment for the kid. Teachers take it WAY too personally that one chooses hsing. There are as myriad reasons to hs as there are reasons not.

We should pay teachers more. Recruit the BEST and the brightest, which we are not doing. I'm not questioning the dedication of most teachers, nor even the "intelligence". But let's face it, the vast majority of school's top performers are NOT choosing teaching as a profession.

We need Smaller classes. Much smaller. Differentiation. More awareness and teaching ability to address learning differences, be they gifted, challenged, disabled, emotionally different, or any possible combination of these. It is mind boggling to me that I knew more about learning differences than damn near ANY teacher I ever met. Hell, the vast majority still have never heard of dysgraphia or dyscalcula, or time sense disorder or any of a dozen other differences that should be addressed. They don't know they exist. They don't recognize the symptoms. They don't know how to accommodate them. Because they're not being taught a damn thing about them.

The sad part is, even if they were and did know, the classes are too large and the resources to scarce to do a damn thing. But it would be nice if they recognized and understood the real issues instead of labeling a kid as a troublemaker or beh or ADHD...