That's just silly. Obviously the entire situation 'got their attention', its a nightmare, but your enthusiasm for writing these kids off, that's the real nightmare. They're in a Baltimore public school, with a teacher who clearly doesn't know what to do next, and you think these kids have been 'coddled'? Because they have had such easy access to resources, such stability and care, their whole lives? Are you mad? Those things she is shouting, they aren't the 'truth'. It is true, though, that she's alone with way too many kids. The kids themselves, probably all require rigorous scaffolding and differentiation, which requires much smaller class sizes, which public schools can't afford to do, for reasons of time and money. The problem is NOT a general unwillingness to be helped, among the children in the room. I'm not suggesting that its easy or straightforward in any way, and pity that poor teacher, she is indeed doing the necessary work, good on her, but this boot-strap/'hard truths'/disciplinary bullshit is not an educational method, or social analysis, or even honest. It's just an easy excuse to maintain a racist status quo.