Actually, I feel like I missed out on something in life. School, in its ideal form, is a wonderful place.
I've always wanted it to be the case that if you're given a task, you do it not just for the sake of a meaningless grade, but because you're interested in it. You present it, and everyone shows respect (in the sense that they listen and don't shout), and then you discuss the work you've done with your classmates. And the same goes for the teacher – they would be genuinely interested in your work, rather than just going through the motions and assigning grades.