Geez, Jeremy, I'm glad you got the help you needed. That's just nuts.
But yeah, as a parent, I see that kids get pushed through school; it's really up to parents to take an active part in kids education to be sure that they are learning stuff. And take your kids OUTSIDE to learn, whether it's wheelin' , camping, fishing, riding, hiking, whatever. Get them unplugged for a while. It's a struggle though, speaking as a parent, the attraction to video-based entertainment is relentless.
I am as well, I'm glad my parents noticed the problems and where able to act on my behalf, said teach also liked to use a ruler to make sure classes sunk in with me.
I am about to enter into parenthood (with in a few years) and it I can already see the challenges. Lucky with Robin being a teacher and both of us being out doors people as well as wanting to keep our kids as unplugged as possible. I hope we are able to raise kids with respect for others as well as our environment. I guess its all easy to say right now not having kids. I just hope for the best and plan to do what ever I can to give them a good basis to live by.