@Ericthebeeover2 I don't see media (video games, movies, TV) to be the demon that people have tried to make it out to be.
I know a handful of people that adamantly reject education. Many of them think that it's funny (my sister and her entire family fits this camp). The suggestion that they go to college is not denied because of cost - it's denied because "college doesn't teach anything I can't learn on YouTube."
Part of me wants to chalk it up to just basic human laziness, but these are people that WILL learn things that fall within their interests...they simply reject everything that's not already an interest.
I'm wondering what in the world would freak people out so much about going to their first 12 years that they would so thoroughly and soundly reject the idea of getting more education.
Like, it seems like the most basic human activity: Learning stuff.
So many people waste their entire lives not learning anything...and they'd probably be good at at least some of it.
I do think that parenting is an enormous part of it, but if we aren't going to teach parents to be parents, then the teachers need to be able to do it. The main problem with that, as I can tell, is class size. (of course, incentivizing the teachers with a living wage might help, but 30+ students per class is TOO MANY for most classes).
As to your last point, I suspect that's exactly the reason why schools aren't properly funded or managed.
"For sheep are stupid, and have to be driven. But goats are intelligent, and need to be led.”
--Terry Pratchett, Small Gods