All parents imagine how life will unfold for their children.

I, of course, imagined my eldest daughter would finish high school.

I was filled with anxiety and confusion when it all started to unravel. In the fall of 2000 while in Grade 7, after a successful time in elementary school, my 12-year-old Avery, began what would be a four-year disengagement from school.

Why would a privileged, middle-class adolescent choose this when dropping out was nothing short of taboo and would complicate her life?