I always thought the time is a wheel metaphor is intended to marry the concepts of cyclical vs linear time. A wheel is a device that translates circular motion to linear motion. The way I see this playing out in a hypothetical universe is that things play out repetitively like a circle, except each circular revolution in time brings the universe forward in some conceptual way, closer even if imperceptibly towards some genuine end state.

I mean Tyler1 does lots of pushups and weightlifting stuff on stream, maybe more streamers should copy that. Then again he also babyrages a lot on stream which isn't exactly what you want to see emulated either...

my guess as both a former teacher and a gamer is that what he really craves is an outlet for his competitive instincts/urge, as most boys do. Schools heavily de-emphasize and even discourage feelings of competitiveness around academic achievement, and that I think is one of the primary de-motivating factors that causes boys to be less interested in school. If there's anything you can do to try to re-ignite, in a healthy way, a competitive aspect to achievement in school, that would allow him to scratch that itch in a possibly more productive way. It seems like the STEM class you refer to possibly already has done that to some extent; being surrounded by other boys with similar interests that probably all want to develop and show off their abilities to contribute has probably ignited some of that passion. Figuring out how to compete with peers in a productive and healthy way is definitely a major part of developing social skills as well.

this aligns with my prior that boys crave competition, and the way that schools have gradually removed competition from academics and studying to the point that now it's nearly taboo to even ask what scores other students got on a test or what their grades are is one of the most significant factors in boys doing worse and worse in school relative to girls. Girls can take or leave competition, it doesn't seem to bother them much either way, but boys need it, and when schools don't give it to them, and they aren't naturally good enough at sports or just otherwise not exposed to any sports they have a natural affinity for, they turn to vidya for their need for something to actually compete in, and they can turn to it with a vengeance. And yeah, it doesn't necessarily show net negative impact on their psychological well-being, because in fact it is giving them something they genuinely need.