Pk, its not my way, but a way that will work that matters, nor is it my values, its common sense. I doubt there is anything that can be done to change things except revolution or sociological collapse. Its not teachers or bureaucrats, but the system thats failed. Their just a product of that system. You would have to start at the bottom of the education system and change it so that it first teaches people how to live and understand what happens in life and why. Presently the system is orientated to economic growth and outcomes, so all you get are products of trying to create clones to serve that outcome. We all know constant growth and economic rationalisation, will only lead to resource collapse and the psychological collapse of society in the end.

As to being grumpy, you'd have to ask those around me to know that. In this business, you have to train everyone that starts work for you, 95% of my permanent staff have been with me for more than 7 years. Every casual that works with us for a month, goes away able to get a job within the industry anywhere and a good reference. There have been many that we would have liked to have given work, but they couldn't keep up with simple tasks like order taking, making up and totalling small orders without a calculator. Most of my secondary teachers had either been to war, or supported it at home, requiring them to work at many different jobs to help the war effort. All the trade teachers and others where from their individual trades and businesses, most had been to war so again had a more varied and real view of life. Not just within their heads or insulated home, computer and TV. It was only when I left school that they were starting to come from teachers college, that I remember.

I have teacher friends, lovely people, great musco's , but not very useful outside the class room in the practical aspects of life.

with the kids going to a posh school and not the local one isn't usually to do with the parents not wanting their kids to be with the neighbourhood but usually to do with the schools reputation and the way they teach. usuallly if you go to a grammar school or private school some people will have posh cars and la-di-da clothing but most people work hard for their kids to go there and they don't go on holidays etc. but some people just have a credit card. others are very high paid and probably aren't single-parents.

brown_eyed_girl,
A private school reputation is no better than a public school reputation. Parents are more concerned about their own reputation.
The way they teach in private school?
Would you not learn that people with money are better people than poor?
Most people work hard! No! All people work hard, both the rich and the poor. Poor people do not contribute to their own poverty.
A holiday? Tourism is aimed at the rich. Who owns all the Four-Wheel Drives and pays for the petrol?
A credit card? You mean lots of credit cards. Australians have some of the highest credit card debt in the world. Modern-day Australians believe to live beyond their means is the “in thing”. That is not taught in public school.
Single-parents? Why are there single parents? Because the person of today only thinks of him or herself and not the relationship outside of self . . . and that takes me back to my second sentence.

my mum is a single parent and the reason my mum and dad got divorced is because of an entirely different matter which i would rather not say.
only someof them have the big cars, in the mornings you mostly see commodore and other cars like that, sure, you'll see the occasional posh car and rolex watch but most people there aren't like that. i know.
and the four wheel drive art, my dad owns a four wheel drive, he doesn't go around eating at posh restaurants and he lives in a unit, not even a house but a unit.
sure poor people might work hard but most people i know that go to the school work extremely hard, when you go to their houses they're always at a desk organising things or preparing.
and it is not about personal reputation. my mum shops at lifeline, she doesn't shop at la-di-da shops to get a good reputation, she thinks reputation should be based on personality and kindness, not money.

and yes, my brother does go to a grammar school but we don't go on holidays, our car is second hand and my mum shops at lifeline, many of my clothes are hammy downs.

brown_eyed_girl,
And you are a very loyal, loving and honest person.
Thank you.