A friend's g-daughter has the attitude that since her Algebra 2 teacher flopped, she doesn't have to learn the material to move forward. Go to class and only do what you get credit for, the school becomes responsible for what you learn as there is no credit for self-learning. Can't learn from the book because it doesn't tell you which problems to do, all learning has to be face to face... literally refuses to believe in self-learning.
if there is anything you want to know, it's up to you to get that. School is there to help at best, get what you can while it's there to take regardless of the credits. Learning is something to embrace and do, not be a victim of chance about.
It would be very unusual if the grand-daughter is not doing a huge amount of self learning - but perhaps not the stuff that is on the school curriculum.
I reckon teachers have a duty to tap into that natural "thirst for knowledge" by linking lessons with real life. Unfortunately, by the time a person becomes a qualified teacher s/he will have spent a long time within the academic system and perhaps have lost contact with the idea that for 99% of people education is preparation for the outside world rather than an end in itself.
At the same time, I recall working with a mature (in years) person who seemed to have no concept that learning was the other side of the teaching coin and regularly complained that he had not be trained how to do X.
stick her in a room and tell her she has to read a short book about coding. Put 5 dollars in it. Put 100 dollars in another book about coding. When she starts to complain about being stuck in her room, walk in and open up the second book with the hundred in it. Pull down your sunglasses, point at her, and say “see child, the power of self learning” and walk out. Moonwalk if you require additional flare.
It's a complete waste of time to regret the past. Learn the stuff now.
School is only there to help with learning
I can accept that statement when applied to University. But IMHO a school, especially for younger kids, has a duty to help each kid to understand the value for him/herself of learning stuff.
Working out GR equations to give subjective times for interstellar travel is beyond my scope since trauma in 2000 caught up. I'm lucky to be doing anything at all, I'm fitting what I do remember doing on small systems to Arduino a piece at a time which takes a bit of learning Arduino. This is familiar enough to me to stick with for a while.