This is to say that none of the avenues known and available are ideal—not government schooling, private schooling, homeschooling or unschooling.

The process of reverse engineering education must start with self awareness and honesty on the part of the parent. Asking and answering hard questions:  How much did I really learn from school? How much of my time was wasted? Was I treated with respect and kindness? Have I succeeded because of, or in spite of, going to school? Have schools gotten better since I was a child, or worse?

People tend to like those who are like them and have traveled a similar path, so the parent must also ask:  Do I truly want my child to live better than me? Can I handle being surpassed at an early age, either in monetary success, notoriety or even well-being? Am I willing to let my child be different, travel a different path and be educated in a different manner?

Thousands of years of evolution have given parents the desire for their children to be like other children, or in a single word, "normal." This is sensible when the bulk of children are well, but maybe not when they aren't.

The end goal of education is for the child to live a good life. One lives a good life by creating value for self and others. The child learns to create value for self and others by developing skills and knowledge through productive activity in real and natural environments.