This is one of the reasons I'm creating a web site intended to show the connections between topics, and through that, how wide-spread the applications of the mathematical ideas are. Math should be taught with connections, applications, examples, demonstrations and, above all, by knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers. Most high-school teachers don't know more than they have to teach, don't know the connections between topics, and don't have time to deviate from the prescribed curriculum.