Usually in US schools there are two parts to a science course: the lectures and the labs. The lectures and homework do get boring and tedious if you are really not into that particular field. However, labs are meant to not only show students science in practice but to show how cool it can be. By doing experiments themselves and seeing real-life demonstrations by teachers, some few students will become interested enough in the field to persue it seriously, and others will at least gain more perspective on the world around them.

However, with our misguided obsession with safety, science education has been neutered of this exiting part and all that's left is dry formulas and obscure vocabulary.