My 10 year old sounds EXACTLY the same as your son! It is mind-boggling! We too are looking at alternatives for our son as he does not "fit" in the school mould. Although he does relatively well, its as if I see a piece of him dying every day (I know it sounds dramatic, but I really seems like it). The only time he is happy (and his face beams) is when we are doing experiments, drawing, painting or googling about history and more science experiments. This has definitely been an eye-opener for me. Thanks for posting!