Mugsy - it seems to me that someone posted here that the mom had tried time and time again to get help for her son...and no dentist would take her. As a last resort, at Emerg, they told her to wait while they found a dentist. 4 hours later, she gave up and went home...

Perhaps some of the poorer students in your class are so unmotivated because they or their parents have tried again and again...and after a while got tired of hitting brick walls.

Including "they" generalizations like
They don't have to answer to anyone, including themselves.
.

It's not that simple...I wish it was black-and-white.

I read once about a teacher who started each new year by telling her students that she had given them each an "A", and it was up to them to prove they didn't deserve it.

(PS my mom was an excellent teacher for over 40 years, so I lived first hand with all her days and experiences).

Let's talk about a solution...what would it/they be?