But you can sure as hell discourage/demotivate them by standardizing all classes into a game of 'guess the question', all work into mechanical problem solving, and all tests into multiple-choice bubble filling.
The first class where I experienced true critical thinking was 10th grade English. By a teacher who was ejected the next semester for giving the school jocks a hard time when they acted up in class.
I had the luck and very good fortune to get out of public school and attend a boarding school on a fully funded scholarship.
In my earlier years I went from Minnesota where they were experimenting with teaching algebra to 4th grade students who tested high on intelligence assessments, and where we were practicing basic physics in Science class in 6th grade.
To Colorado, where my school didn't even teach Science and we spent most of the day screwing around and playing card games. Middle school was light on content and dominated by a culture of bullying/bullies. High school was all about 'getting into college' and bullying was replaced with popularity contests and jocks.
Ironically, I took all useful classes where I learned skills that I've used a lot since. Metal Shop, Wood Shop, Graphic Arts, and Computer Programming. All of the shop, graphics, architecture classes were on the chopping block despite the school having 5 baseball teams 3 softball teams, the 3 usual football teams, a state-winning marching band, and many teams for various other sports including tennis, volleyball, soccer, basketball, etc...
