when i came to the uk i started teaching at a school mainly made up of white working class students
their parents mostly worked on a nearby industrial estate, unemployment was v v v low
there was a real antipathy to education, both from parents and students - i had to work v hard to help make my subject relevant (and didn't always succeed)
students who worked hard were mostly mocked (there were some exceptions)
some of this came from parental attitudes - i think they had v v negative experiences at school themselves and were passing that on to their children
some of it was a lack of ability to see beyond their horizons iyswim if no one you know goes to college, it is hard to do it yourself
some of it was due to ready employment, stuff school when you can get a job paying x amount with no qualifications
some of it was anti-deference to authority for lack of a better word - you had to really earn their respect and until you had it, you got nowhere
it is kind of funny, my background is working class, (different country) and i partly went into teaching to 'make a difference', but my students were mostly 'fuck off miss, we don't need your subject'
v humbling and sobering, my first year was a real grind
in my defense it was my first real year teaching!