There's a story about Cassius Clay which pretty much sums up what americans attitudes are really like. You all can guess or look up what I'm talking about. It seems like stupidity has more and more become the most common defining trait of the american people.
For some reason the government wants it's citizens to be idiots, most likely to control them. In some ways you can't blame them. People are just being brought up to be idiots. Luckily I was on the fringe and some really good teachers, got skipped in classes and took AP classes.
But I know of a girl who while going through school had these assignments... She was supposed to write for them and turn it in. Her parents, on the ball, noticed she didn't know anything about grammar, how to write a complete sentence, things like tenses of verbs, etc. These things were not graded and not taught. The parents asked the teachers, she needs to be able to write a clear sentence, why are you not teaching the children how to? They said they will another year, that's another grade's issues. (By the way, they never did as the years went by, in this case the parents did)
Grammar/English is the building block you need to have good conversations, write papers and discuss things intellectually. Ever wonder why so many kids have horrible spelling? Yes, it is because they're texting shortcuts.
List of Shortcut/Codes. But I am so sure they were never taught how to write correctly.
Yes, they could learn if they wanted to, but the brainwashing of the school system gets them so young. You know that it is easier to learn another language when you're young. I remember learning English and some Spanish when I was in 3rd grade or lower. These children are having their education
withheld until they are old enough it will be more difficult to learn when/if they do care to try.
In this case the parents were smart, looking out for their child. But how many children grew up, got fine grades (because the teachers didn't care about grammar to grade that part), had parents thinking the school was covering it, and just never learned it?
Yes, there is blame for the parents not being a part of their child's life, though I believe this is being orchestrated too. Either way, you cannot generalize every single person as stupid in a country full of stupid people. Some smart people do slip through the cracks.