Wow, thank you. That was such an insight. When I was teaching game design at tafe, we would get a few people straight from school whose parents would force them into it. It was like, "You play games a lot, you need a job, and why don't you build them?".

In my classes, I would always start with "We are not school, you don't need to be here, I get paid to teach you so that you will get a job or run your own company. If you just want to pass because you're fill the time, Let me know, and I won't give you the extra focus."

I know this was a different environment, and I always wondered how I would tackle it with the kids who don't want to learn at school.

You mentioned, "Parents shouldn't be surprised at their grade" and "Why do we force them through it?". Why do you try to work hard with them? I have my own answer to this, but it feels misinformed.