Can't Make it Up

I overheard a fourth grade student in our district respond to her teacher's pleas for greater effort by saying, "Why should I work hard? The government will give me money."
The country wants to blame we teachers for our failures to educate. However, too many of our students have already received an education that we might not be able to overcome. Work hard, we say. Riches will be yours. Feel good about yourself.
But why, mister, my mom feels real good about that check she gets every month.

I hate to be so surly at the end of a school year, but it is this attitude, combined with the lack of soliving our hall-walking problem where I teach (high school), that has me wondering "why bother?"

Why bother working harder than the other teachers? Why bother creating community building events? Why bother believing all students deserve a chance? In the end, they've already been taught.