I got attracted by your title! Haha interesting post! I’m from East Asian country. To be honest, I’m quite surprised that parents (and grandparents) would support their kids to do anything which they are curious about. For example, if I’m interested in KPOP and tell my parents I want to learn Korean culture and even take it as a potential career path, they will strongly discourage me at the very beginning. Because they believe only STEM area can give me better career and life!
Additionally, I agree with you that teachers need to find a way to stimulate students’ curiosity or try to match the teaching material with their curiosity. This might be easier in graduate courses where students are more mature and the class is typically smaller, while in undergrad courses, it’s very challenging to adjust materials for every single students. Perhaps, trying to separating them into smaller groups and giving them projects instead of assignments&exams will make the class more interesting!
