I went to a high school (in the US) that was full of extremely passionate and engaging teachers. After I graduated, I had a conversation with one of them about

I went to a high school (in the US) that was full of extremely passionate and engaging teachers. After I graduated, I had a conversation with one of them about the curriculum, and she told me that their number one job was effectively to teach whatever will be on the standardized tests used for college admissions. I've had some amazing teachers whose passion shone through and cultivated students' genuine interest in the subject matter. Unfortunately, there is only so much that can be done when, at the end of the day, your curriculum is designed for the purpose of getting a good standardized test score.