What's going on?

I have just completed day 2 of probably two of the worst days of teaching in the 3 years I have done this. The thing is, I am OK, but I am just dumbfounded at these kids. It is a well known fact that the Freshman class in general at the school I have been teaching at is behavior wise, one of the worst classes in history. I found out today, that the middle school administration had a meeting with the high school administration and Freshman teachers before the beginning of the year specifically to discuss some of the problems with this class. It was a session of brainstorming as well as apologies on behalf of the middle school staff to the teachers because they feel they did everything they could with these kids to little avail. I watched some of these kids literally ignore a teacher yesterday, carry on their own conversations, and were rude and obnoxious in general. This teacher is a friend of mine and I am truly concerned for her. She just looks tired! Today, I wrote my 2nd office referral of the year. Actually, this one wasn't for a Freshman but a Junior. He decided to argue with me over use of the phone, and ultimately told me to "F*** off!" Yes, to my face. He actually seemed surprised when I wrote up and handed him the referral! As I was walking through the Commons at the end of school, a kid started to chase another through the commons and he jumped over and kicked a chair which hit a Para. Another teacher and I grabbed him and escorted him to the office. The incident was all in "good fun" according to him and the kid he was chasing. The other teacher swears it's the change in the weather. Whether it's the weather or not, these kids need to get a grip. Come on parents, teach your kids appropriate behavior. This is getting rediculous!