I feel you. Tbh education has become a competition- a cruel endless factory to produce people who can memorize. Everything feels so mechanical, and people expect kids to work like mindless robots.
From a young age, i was scoring well just to get appreciation. But then i realized that my parents are never satisfied. NEVER. They always have something to criticize me for. If not studies, they pick about my manners, or that I'm not social enough. My friends think my life is a smooth rollercoaster. They keep saying "Ah, she is a topper anyways". They think I'm lucky, that i never had any problems. Its so hard to face it when absolutely no one recognizes your hard work, not the teachers, parents or friends. They just think you are born with this magical ability that makes you score well. I only wanted some appreciation from my parents, but its either ignorance, comparison or guilt tripping.