But all around the edge of the room was optional extra-credit work. Different teachers had different things. One had worksheets. One had piles and piles of Games magazines. One had puzzles.
There was a huge contrast between my mindset when doing boring pencil problems and my mindset when doing fun logic puzzles. But those mindsets would often overlap. I'd be constantly looking for patterns in the math problems (to avoid boredom). And some of the games magazine brain puzzlers could only be solved with repetitive trial-and-error grunt work.
My gut sense is that when it comes to teaching and learning, boredom is not a thing to be avoided, but a thing to be harnessed.
I'll have to read this Bored and Brilliant book and see if it has any evidence to support or contradict that belief.