What I think is the trouble with education, especially in cities, is that there is no real accountability for continuity and attention to school decorum. Your problems happened, because the principal did not do anything to show these kids that they were in a learning environment. When you walk into a school that is working there is an air of educational inquiry and industry. Kids are welcoming and enjoy their lessons. They are eager to learn and parents are involved in many activities. In a city school most principals hide in their offices and only come out to spy on teachers. They don’t show the kids in the school that they are in charge or foster a learning environment. So teachers are left to fend for themselves. Many are able to keep a semblance of order, but they don’t try anything that might cause any kind of commotion. Learning happens in groups and with discussion. The whole idea in city schools is quiet classrooms. It doesn’t work that way. There can be a hum of students working together in a room.

Besides that there is no push to make sure each child is on grade level or beyond. Kids are given books to read and some fake it a lot. The reason your kids didn’t like independent reading is they couldn’t read. Books and education didn’t play an important role in their home lives. Unless this is the case, kids won’t want to learn in school. It is up to the teachers to create this if it isn’t present at home. These kids are deprived because their parents are most of the time too busy to pay attention to them. Unless there is an emergency they go day to day being cared for by others who don’t care if they read or not, only that they are being well behaved.

In my part of the country we see this kind of leadership manifested in many other ways. It’s not the teachers (well, not most of them). It’s not the kids (by and large). It’s the institutional infrastructure, beginning with colleges of education and extending through states, counties, cities and districts right into the individual school.