Funny thing is, I didn't teach my kids squat. I just found ways for them to sate their thirst for knowledge. Think for a minute about what primarily drives children: they need to learn. They earnestly desire knowledge necessary to be effective adults--it's built into their genes. Just try and stop a kid from learning!

I but arranged venues and facilitated their ability to learn not just what they wanted to know, such as about Indians, astronomy, and etc., but maths (and why maths are good to know, such as fractions being necessary in carpentry), sociology (how to know when folks are trying to trick you into supporting them at significant cost to you) and similar essentials.

Worked great. Eventually, when they hit puberty, there were things I was incapable of teaching them, and I let them enroll in High School. Their exposure there, after their initial giddiness over the social experience, was critical in forming their aversion to institutionalization, and showed that their self-directed education was far superior to the indoctrination they would have been subjected to in public school.

As a single parent working construction full-time, and also refusing to let sitters raise my kids, I just took them to jobsites with me and paid them $10/hour to work. While technically illegal, I never once had a client object. They worked hard for their money, and folks respected them for it.

My kids haven't lived in the area now for years, but folks still remark on their character approvingly. I agree my kids are good people, and it's to their credit. I just didn't let institutions pervert their characters, and their natural tendencies were allowed to shine.

More folks should trust their kids.