Fill in the blank: I feel “blank” about the way thingsare going in the country these days. Fill in the blank: I feel“blank” about the waythings are going in the country these days. “Frustrated.”Brandi, 41, N.D., white “Hopeless.”Jay, 39, Mo., white “Optimistic”Danielle, 59, Mont., white As millions of American students return to class, major change is afoot. There was the interruption of the pandemic and the return to physical classrooms. There is the growing movement to ban phones during instruction time. Most recently, artificial intelligence and chatbots are changing how many people, especially students, approach basic tasks and find information. What do teachers make of it? In Opinion’s latest focus group, we spoke with 12 public high school teachers about all of this — concerns about funding, the long but perhaps now fading effects from Covid and “the Wild West” of A.I. in the classroom, as one participant put it. We also talked about what they love about teaching and how these public employees from a range of backgrounds felt about the direction of the country, especially the economy. The group was particularly thoughtful on the ways teaching has become more challenging, from student preparedness to how teachers can or cannot enforce rules. The biggest changes had to do with cellphones and social media. All the participants said they would ban phones from class if they could. “It’s part of their whole operating schema,” one participant said of how students think of their phones. “They feel like, ‘Well, I can look it up on the phone.’ It’s part of them. They’ve connected the phone to their individuality.” Katherine Miller, Margie Omero and Adrian J. Rivera Ms. Miller is a staff editor in Opinion. Ms. Omero is a pollster. Mr. Rivera is an editorial assistant in Opinion. ParticipantsAlex 44, N.C., Latino, independent Brandi 41, N.D., white, Republican Dana 59, Fla., white, Republican Danielle 59, Mont., white, Republican Donyea 45, Md., Black, Democrat Elvionna 47, S.C., Black, Democrat Evan 31, N.Y., white, Democrat Jay 39, Mo., white, Democrat Jeff 33, Mass., white, independent Rachel 46, N.J., white, Democrat Sarah 54, Calif., white, Republican Tom 59, Calif., Asian, Republican Transcript Moderator, Margie Omero Fill in the blank for me. I feel “blank” about the way things are going in the country these days. Elvionna, 47, S.C., Black, Democrat Not good. Jeff, 33, Mass., white, independent Uneasy. Rachel, 46, N.J., white, Democrat Fearful. Brandi, 41, N.D., white, Republican Frustrated. Alex, 44, N.C., Latino, independent I’m at a standstill with how things are going. Jay, 39, Mo., white, Democrat Hopeless. Tom, 59, Calif., Asian, Republican Cautiously optimistic. Donyea, 45, Md., Black, Democrat Concerned. Dana, 59, Fla., white, Republican Dismayed. Evan, 31, N.Y., white, Democrat It’s a complex thing. Concerned, I guess. Danielle, 59, Mont., white, Republican Optimistic. Sarah, 54, Calif., white, Republican Resoundingly optimistic. Moderator, Margie Omero Tell me why, Sarah. Sarah, 54, Calif., white, Republican Economically, we’re headed in the right direction. I’m really pleased that we’re focused on our own citizens, our own people. We got what we were promised, so there was no hidden agenda. Moderator, Margie Omero What indicators are you considering when you say things are going well economically? Sarah, 54, Calif., white, Republican Gross domestic product. And there’s a lot more growth in all of my financial assets, which is reassuring as someone who’s nearing retirement. Moderator, Margie Omero Tom, you said “cautiously optimistic.” Tom, 59, Calif., Asian, Republican We hear a lot of conflicting things in the media, so I’m never sure what take is factual or what the reality is. Economically, there’s some potential for growth and some reassurance about jobs and manufacturing coming back to the country, if that occurs. That’s the caution part. Moderator, Margie Omero Elvionna, you said “not good.” Tell me why. Elvionna, 47, S.C., Black, Democrat Because, talking with friends, people are losing jobs instead of getting jobs. Moderator, Margie Omero Alex, you said “standstill.” Alex, 44, N.C., Latino, independent On a personal level, my wife would love for us to get a new home. But due to interest rates, it’s not a good financial decision. I also teach in a minority-based school. And I am concerned: When I get back, will I have students missing because of deportation or fear of deportation? Moderator, Margie Omero Jay, you said “hopeless.” Jay, 39, Mo., white, Democrat I’m an optimistic person. But every day I read the news, there’s just another headline that somebody’s rights are being taken away or science is being dialed back or policies that protect the Earth are being reversed. It just makes me a little hopeless. In four years, will things bebetter, worse or the same? In four years, will things be better, worse or the same?Things will be better. Brandi,