I also think it's quite difficult for an 8th grader (I'll argue few develop a deep aptitude in math unless they start early) to understand why anything beyond b

I also think it's quite difficult for an 8th grader (I'll argue few develop a deep aptitude in math unless they start early) to understand why anything beyond basic math is important and worth learning. Further, I think we would be better off teaching the majority of students basic calculus and statistics in lieu of calculus. Get some stats and probability under your belt and you might even develop a clear motivation to learn calculus!