From Dewey on, the entire modern educational establishment has been so "practical" they've ignore the real, living springs of human motivation. 10 years olds do not plan for their future 15 years down the line, worrying over what their income will be. Nor are they trained puppies who do whatever they are told to do for a pat on the head and a cookie, or any other form of "self esteem". Will some do things just because they are challenging, or to be better at it than the kid next to them? A tiny fraction, who can sometimes try to excel at all the wrong things instead of the right ones.
If young men and women do not have an appetite for truth, none of the rest is going to matter. If the teachers and parents don't so much as believe in such a thing, let alone consider it important, or beautiful, or the root of a moral life which is itself joyous and beautiful, then only those who can discover such things all by themselves even when they are 10 years old will really learn. I said an appetite. If a kid doesn't need truth like he needs oxygen, there is something wrong with him, and probably with those around him too.