It sounds like the whole curriculum really depends on the teacher and how much they want to push a child. I have the utmost respect for good teachers. They are sort of like nurses, if you don't realize your real occupation is caring, you're in the wrong occupation. I know my kid thinks I am a jerk sometimes, but I would prefer he be irritated now and become a successful person knowing how to solve life problems, rather than be happy all the time and grow up thinking the world owes him whatever he desires.
I feel for the person thinking of changing schools. I think an average school with caring teachers is sometimes much better than a good school where they are seen and this years problem. My son transferred from private to school to public in the fourth grade and it was terrible because the teacher at Maryville treated him like dirt. She gave him a detention because he finished his ISAT's too quickly and didn't take them seriously. The following year, at Frohardt, they tested him for the gifted program because of his high scores on that same exam he was punished for. Who's the screw up, my kid or his teacher?