School, as it exists, heavily rewards a certain type of learner. Intelligence is far less important than your ability to sit still, regurgitate answers, and conform. If you're smart, but can't learn in that environment, you are out of luck.
I struggled throughout my entire career as a student. Some classes were too easy, some not interesting. I was a voracious reader, and could teach myself almost any subject, but sitting still and listening to lectures is not my forte. Neither is grinding at homework.
I spent a lot of my life thinking I was broken, until I eventually found myself a job where ability to self teach was more important than ability to sit still and conform.
I really hope that Covid would push the school system to adapt and change, introducing forms of asynchronous learning that really work well for people like me, but to push to go back to in-class learning doesn't leave me to believe that that will happen.
I do think the author misses one point though. He's right that if you don't go to work, your boss doesn't come and get you and make you go. If I stop going to work, nobody is going to come get me. But unless you are already rich, you probably have to figure out some way to make money. You may end up having choice in what that looks like, or you may not. Believe me when I tell you that I've had bosses who were way more abusive than any of the teachers described in the article.
There is something to be said for just learning to deal with it, especially given that the author is only like 3 years away from anybody caring what he does anymore.