I think 90%+ of teachers have always been "just teach the basics." Since the emphasis on testing emerged, I suspect the teachers who are adamant about letting students explore have fled to advanced classes (where all the students do fine anyway, so the administration leaves you alone) or to private schools.

>> ^ELee:

I was lucky enough to be shown this kind of playing with math when I was young, and it sustained me through careers in science and engineering. From what I hear about current education, all the fun stuff has been pushed out of the classrooms today by 'teach the basics' fanatics.