I totally agree, but education and creating lifelong learners has to start somewhere. This is truly why I became a teacher working with “at-risk” teens (I think all teens are at-risk, but for clarity here I’m talking about teens who have faced problems with drugs, abuse, neglect, poverty, etc…). The root of these teens’ issues is the family structure, or lack thereof. The problems that being in the aforementioned situations is perpetuated by the media and culture mindset that being “hood rich” is more important than family loyalty or personal respect and responsibility. I feel that 80% of my job is teaching social skills, critical thinking, impulse control, and greater societal expectations. Hopefully, I can help build confidence and character among a population of kids who will have the capacity to see value in personal accomplishment.