It is by choice. They were in a magnet school that placed extraordinarily high expectations on the kids. This is not a problem in and of itself, because we should have high expectations. Especially when people are capable of achieving those expectations. However, they already place so much worry and stress on themselves and then the school piles on too. They were both very unhappy and were not engaging in normal teenage activities because they were just so mentally drained all the time. Our county started a virtual school immediately after the covid times and we had moved our older daughter into it to finish the last 2.5 credits she needed and we had a good experience. The younger ones asked to move to the virtual school after the new year and they finished up their 8th and 9th grade years there in the spring and enjoyed it. It allows a lot of freedom, especially at the high school level. The classes are self paced and as long as you are turning your assignments in on time that is all that matters. So if a kid wanted to take a couple extra days off, they could just work ahead and then chill for a few days. Or they can have a job during the day and do their work in the evening. This model wouldn't work for everyone, but I think that we have to get creative with how we offer educational opportunities to this generation.
Oh, and they also have partnerships with a local community college and Middle Tennessee State University that allows kids to dual enroll and gain high school and college credits at the same time for very minimal cost. There are kids graduating high school and starting college mid-way through their Sophomore years. Big $$ savings for parents.
