I hear you. My son is 30. He had his struggles with school and authority. He also had Scouting, which reinforced responsibility, skills through practice, work, thinking beyond one's self, and honor. Kids today will not have that opportunity, sadly.

He had the ADHD fraud to deal with, and the general decline of moral and ethical standards. He learned some lessons the hard way - not unlike his dad ;-).

I recall in high school, at a private school with a high ranking, he had an issue with a teacher. He was struggling to pass the class. He made a deal with the teacher to make up some insufficient work, and to do extra work to get a passing grade. The deal was made in the presence of both parents, the head of school and the school counselor. In the end the teacher reneged. I was not happy. The teacher lied - claiming he made no such deal - and the two witnesses refused to correct the lie. My spoke only once - at the head of school who CLEARLY recalled the deal - and offered him a chance to do the right thing. He failed. Instead of a scene, we quietly left - and in the following conversation I advised my young son that next time he made a deal, to get it in writing. A lesson I did not learn until I was much older (and that cost me a lot more than a grade). I realized the lesson was more valuable than the grade. But we took him out of that school subsequently, and I made it clear it was due to the poor ethical example provided by the head of school and staff. The other valuable lesson - actions have consequences - is something my son already had learned.