Oh man, I really should proofread...try this one...

A few of our kids are still idealistic, but so few are. They are way more cynical than this 43 year old, and that ain't right. The kids I teach have hard lives, no doubt about it, but so have lots of people. I am down pretty far in the dumps right now because so few of my students care, about themselves, about their grades, about other people outside of their homies. They get high and have sex (these are 12 to 14 year olds) and are parents way before they should be because they believe that they don't have a future. Where have we gone as a culture? Why can't I get through to more of these kids? I know that a few of them are buying what I'm selling (that education is the way out of poverty) but when I see 12 year olds who want to join gangs...yikes. Sorry if this is way off topic, but to bring it back, kinda, my students don't even understand the phrasing of "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" :-( much less the sentiment.