I teach second grade now but at one point I've taught all the grades up to 6. I agree with you, and it's very complicated. Why complicated? Because unless I'm the only one in the world who's felt this way, I sometimes find myself being the cheerleader for learning for it's own sake AND then, sometimes even in the same day, designing some manifestation of a Skinnerian operant behavior system to get kids to comply. Mixed messaging for sure, but that's because we feel absolutely all kids to the fullest extent possible should be blended together into every single class at the same time. Learners and earners, when their conflicting motivations, all working together with one hapless teacher. I teach special education...I want my students mainstreamed as much as possible. But sometimes sped kids and even gen Ed kids need some degree of separation, because their conflicting world views are dampening learning for all NOT enhancing it. Basically, you're average teacher is a schizophrenic trying to survive.