> at some point people need to learn how to put themselves through boring mindnumbing stuff as well, because this will sometimes be part of what you need to do

> at some point people need to learn how to put themselves through boring mindnumbing stuff as well, because this will sometimes be part of what you need to do if you wanna reach your goals Framing is important, and there is a huge difference when approaching something with the attitude of "toleration" compared to "determination". The value in the skill of determination, is the realisation that with it, many things can become intrinsically more interesting and rewarding the more work you put in. When you find something that clicks and try hard at it you can end up in a feedback loop, and this is the sweet spot you want everyone to find in life. Suggesting that hard work should only be tolerated is not a fruitful path to put people on - sure some things in society like filling out paper work are inherently boring, and unfortunately the realty of current systematised education is kind of similar, but ironically nether match the reality most real cognitive or skilful work. Perhaps this sounds more like a romantic ideal than something practical - I get that in the reality of current school environments it seems like a hopelessly subtle idea to convey in the hurricane of the massive curriculum you are trying to get them to absorb - However, ideas and wisdom can have a much longer lasting effect on a student's life than what may as well be ephemeral knowledge at that age. I think the least a teacher can do is to encourage students whenever they see a spark of interest, it doesn't matter whether or not it looks "useful" or is even tangentially part of the curriculum, because you can learn the value in the skill of determination by learning to doing anything substantially difficult, and it's a surprisingly transferable mindset. ... But regardless of this framing, to be fair to the rest of your comment which I agree with, the real contender is the new reality of the short attention span, ruined by entertainment. Even as an adult who has long learned the rewards in this skill find it being eroded if I am not careful.