You should see and hear what students are showing up in the classroom saying and writing. I'm retired but had the problem when I was working. I have a couple of friends who are still active teachers and they tell me it is even worse now, either in classroom or on line with the Covid-19 "remote learning". They also tell me that for a huge percent of the students the "remote learning" isn't working. Either they never sign on at all or the grades are much lower and that leads to the school district administration types "hinting" at lower grading standards to prevent so many fails.

Of course that pressure to prevent failures by changing grade scales is not new. At two of the schools where I taught I got called in for a conference about either too many Fails or too many A's. (That causes worries that grades are too easy to get and inflated.) In both cases I presented my grade scale and criteria. Both times I was told it was a very good standard for grades in my classes. And both times I pulled out the grade records and demonstrated that every single grade I gave to a student followed my standards. Then I told them that if every single student fell below the level for a D then they all got Fails and if every single student scored at the A level then they all got A's. Because I followed my own standards and anyone with common sense knew that students vary, some classes are heavy on good students and some classes are heavy on poor students. The ratio of good to poor changed from year to year and class to class. I also informed them that once I assigned a grade unless an error on my part in calculating the grades was found "I would not change it. If the Administrator wanted to change it they would have to do so themselves and sign the report card taking responsibility for the grade." In 35 years counting my student teaching year only one administrator changed one of my grades. And he left the Fail I gave for ditching 6 weeks of the semester (the boy discovered GIRL and was ditching my class only to watch her and the tennis team practice in the park) but gave him the Units for Class Credit so he would graduate. Except for my class the boy had straight A's. It seems that all four of his Grandparents had flown in from the Philippines to see their first grandson graduate from high school and the whole family was very upset that the grade in my class would prevent him from having the units to graduate. Only his younger sister knew about the ditching and she didn't tell the family. My grade did cost him his admission to UCLA or USC - both schools told him to do one or two semesters of Community College and if his grades were high enough then his admission acceptance would be reinstated.
His younger sister was in my class the next year and told me the girl dumped him for the Captain of the Football Team and for summer school and the Fall semester the boy lived like a monk in class or studying 16 hours a day. He took a full load of day classes and a full load of night classes at two Community Colleges - got straight A's and not only got his admission offers at UCLA and USC back but a couple of fairly big scholarships. He also lost weight and was a stressed out wreck. She thought it was funny, she had been warning him about the ditching even while not snitching to the family. But he was in LOVE and didn't think I would actually Fail him since he had an A in the first semester of my class and all A's the first half of the semester before he ditched 6 weeks. There were two major tests and a report that 6 weeks and he got zero on them and all the homework and quizzes for 6 weeks which left him with a 58% for the semester = Fail.

Thanks to all for the replies. Apparently, this book is out of print/out of download! I finally located a used copy in good condition for only $4.65, with free shipping. I'd forgotten about Abebooks.com, which my wife often uses to obtain inexpensive paperbacks for her book club. Abebooks appears to be something of a clearinghouse for independent book sellers.

This will be first first visit to the Canadian Rockies since 1972 when a friend and I made a whirlwind visit. I shot Kodachrome film (I think) with my dad's Argus C3. I have no idea where those slides disappeared to.

I regret that I have only 9 days in the parks. We'll be taking the train from Toronto to Jasper (I LOVE train travel). So far, we've identified a bunch of places to visit in the parks: Maligne Canyon Loop Trail, Whistler's Summoit Trail/Skytram, Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls. Valley of Five Lakes, Beauvert Lake, Maligne Lake (canoeing), Morraine Lake (maybe), Parker Ridge Trail, Bow Summit/Peyto Lake Trail, Emerald Lake, Pyramid Lake, Spiral Tunnels, Wapta Falls. Perhaps also Takkakkaw Falls and Marble Canyon.

We're also exploring Athabasca Glacier with Rockaboo Mountain Adventures and Hiking Lake O'Hara and Lake Oesa (yes, we won the lottery for bus tickets!). Our stay will be based in Jasper and Field. After that, we take the train to Port Rupert for 3 days (more hiking and some R&R!), and then fly home to Connecticut.

I must thank UHHers for opening my eyes to some of these places. We probably won't get to all of them, so a future return trip might be in order.