For my fellow non-traditional college students:?

I'm a vet, been out of highschool for six years, recently started college because I left the military and figured college was a logical step. But I can't stand it. I'm studying for a history test right now ( I want to be a highschool lit teacher. ) and find myself asking, "Is it really imperative for me to know when the first five railroads reached California?" ( I live in Texas. ) Do any of you ever feel like you're just checking the blocks, doing something because your being told to, making someone rich because its the only way to get to the end? I mean, I thought higher education was supposed to spark creativity, imagination, stoke the fire of inquiry, not program me into a mode of western group think. Any thoughts, am I alone?