Our oldest son was in gifted/magnet programs that were project-based. By his sophomore year of high school he was burned out and stopped turning in a lot of the work. He did well in math and a few other classes, but in English and Science classes he was lucky that he passed (he told us that if the county had done away with final exams earlier he probably wouldn’t have graduated). He tested very well, and was a NMSF. He only passed 3 classes in college, and has a hard time seeing himself going back. Our younger son hasn’t liked school very much either, but unlike his older brother he never liked it. Both had friends who did very well in school, but it didn’t rub off. If they were motivated, they made A’s. When they weren’t, they were often in danger of failing (although neither actually failed a high school class for the semester/year). Our sons’ experiences, combined with my own and my observations of students in the schools where I’ve worked make me think that there are some kids who aren’t going to like school no matter what. It becomes a necessary evil for students like us.