Instead, those students will go on to do other things. Some will join the military. Others will go to vocational school. Still others will go straight to work. They'll do the jobs that hold things together like construction work, machinists, mechanics, factory work, and countless other "blue collar" jobs that don't require a degree.

IMO, these students are getting a raw deal in school. I strongly support programs like the one where my father taught back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a carpenter who taught in a trade school that was part of the city school system. Votech students spend half a day at their regular schools and the other half at the Votech School. The program lasted for 3 years, so the students had sufficient time to learn their trades. Since my father was very active in the local union, he was able to get his students into the apprenticeship program right away. Most had no trouble getting a job right out of high school and being productive citizens at 18 years old. Imagine that.

Your wife has my respect. Teaching is hard work. I never taught elementary school but I imagine it has its share of challenges. Still, she has the ability to set many students on the right path. I taught at a small junior high & high school for a year. By the time the students reached me, most of them were already set on the "academic track" or the "non-academic track". Every now and then, I came across an elementary school teacher who said things like "I hate math." You can imagine how that attitude must've come across to their students.