Great points.<p>On the topic of mainstream education, my brother is &quot;unschooling&quot; his children. They went to public school for one year, then he saw what was happening not only with the level of standardized education, but also the drills to &quot;prepare&quot; for school shootings. Schools prepare not by hiring security guards, but by having realistic simulations of a shooter, and having the children cower under their desks. Welcome to the new normal: Dept of Education&#x27;s standards for dealing with ~~nuclear~~ handgun proliferation.<p>i visited my brother last year and it was interesting to see his kids interact socially. this is typically one of the big arguments that comes up for homeschooled children: How will your children grow socially? How will they learn to interact? After watching them at their golf practice, surrounded by tons of other kids, it was clear: my brother&#x27;s kids were leaders, and the other kids were mostly followers.<p>his kids learn what they want, guided by their father&#x27;s loose curriculum. They started learning algebra at 7, with the assistance of some very clever iPad apps. They read. They play games. And most of all, they enjoy life. They&#x27;re not just waiting for recess. Or high school. Or college. Or their first job.<p>Those kids will be just fine.