It's more of the way they were taught. That is, "read the first four chapters of the book, and fill out these papers. If you have a question, re-read the book". Many of those teachers (not all, just those kinds of teachers) do very little work. The way they grade there homework as you are either completly right, or completly wrong. There is no "I see your rational here, even if it's not exactly what I wanted". They give tests on scantrons (which those 'fill in a bubble, and a machine will grade it' things).
Three words for you. Welcome to College. Wait, no....Welcome to Life.
Maybe the teacher in question is starting at too young of an age, but this is how it is done. A good deal of my college professors lectured from slides, went faster than any human could follow, and required, not expected that you came to class with an understanding of the material. A whole lot more were teaching the class simply because it was required for them to continue their research or they drew the short straw. Granted, I'm not saying that all teachers are bad in any way. While I don't think that teachers should be teaching a subject that they have no interest in, sometimes it is required.
But school, in general, not high school or college is there to prepare you for life. If you think that anyone is going to hold you by the hand and teach you explicitly everything you'll ever need to know, you're mistaken. Well, fast food restaurants will do that to ensure standardization.
While I highly value (especially since I'm getting my Masters right now) teachers who grade based on your approach and method, rather than simply your answer....unfortunately, it does no good. If I design a bridge and it collapses, no one cares about my method, just whether it fell down or not.
Not even the military will do that. We value troops with the ability to think for themselves and to solve problems creatively. Read ahead, study, learn more than you should know - that is how you get promoted, even in the military.
Personally, I think that schools should teach MUCH more basic english and grammar. I feel this is highly lacking in today's schools. I can't tell you how many times I have to correct basic spelling and grammar on reports that go across my desk. For example, in my previous two jobs, I kept a sign in my office detailing the difference between your and you're and their, there, and they're. If I turn in a report, letter, even an e-mail to my boss with basic grammar and spelling problems, not only does it show carelessness, but it shows that I can't be trusted to do the job right the first time.
(I guess this means that I have to start double proofreading all of my posts. )