My Chinese-speaking Indian mother would have agreed with this article, though she long ago learned that "you can't fight city hall" -- in this case you can't change the curriculum. She taught me many fun things despite the constraints of school.

This is reminiscent of Star Trek TNG "When the Bough Breaks", where a parent of the 23rd century scolds his 8-year old child for not wanting to study calculus.

_Everyone_ needs an understanding of basic calculus, whether they like it or not!