I'm working on raising independent thinkers who value creativity. If this means they become entrepreneurs, so be it. If it means they become rock stars, so be it. If it means they start working in an office and eventually rise high in the ranks, so be it.
But to raise an independent thinker, I focus on nurturing creative thought. All children are born with creativity, but only 2% of adults are still "creative." (-credit some study I don't want to look up right now) 98% of us lose creativity over our lifetime - mostly through test-driven schooling and such.
I have every intention of using the public school system, but like I've said before - you have to be extremely selective not only in districts, but in the actual school environment your children will be in. Turbo, if you want to use public schools, look into the GT programs in your district. GT (Gifted and Talented) kids are ones whose brains actually work differently than even the "brightest" child. GT are not always A+ kids - although those are the kids usually recommended to the program. The typical GT kid drives a (non GT) teacher crazy asking questions and trying to solve things in different ways. GT kids are the ones bored with traditional education who find themselves stifled in classrooms. Most entrepreneurs are probably GT. School districts usually identify based on IQ and percentages on certain tests. I know some districts take the top 5%, others the top 2%. I'm in a district with the top 2% and plan to totally exploit the GT system. Our first round of testing is in kindergarten and you must request it by the end of October, I think.
When independent thinkers are allowed to have sheltered classes (away from the mainstream kids) that encourage creativity in all things, they grow tremendously and keep their creative thought processes. It is the test-driven classrooms that tend to stifle creativity. After all, the teacher must get 25-30 students on totally different levels to the same minimum level by the time the test rolls around. So the bright learners who are already doing the minimum, continue doing the minimum without learning much more. The teacher, school and district efforts are on the low kids as these kids are the ones critical to school funding when/if they pass the test.
It's a system that is absolutely unfair to the bright learners and especially kids who are off the charts (GT, for example.) Middle kids do okay, and low kids thrive but have all creative thought beaten out of them in order to learn the minimum skills to pass a test.
In my district scores are substantially higher than other areas because the focus is deliberately off the test and on those higher kids. The parents who have selected certain schools within the district wouldn't have it any other way. The low ones get pulled along and grow because the teachers work harder on creative material for everyone. The district, school and teacher can make a huge difference.
At home, you should always speak to your child like an adult (from infancy) and work on critical thinking. Always ask why and how questions. (Why and How are synthesis level questions - synthesizing knowledge across many areas to find a solution) Ask your child to explain his thoughts on something to see how deep his reasoning goes and to explore relationships among things. When you do something, model it by stating your thoughts out loud or telling him what you're doing and why.
From a financial aspect, I'm not the expert, but my 4-year-old has sold cupcakes, ice cream and lemonade to the neighbors multiple times because he wanted to. Believe me, Mom didn't want to go out on the driveway in Houston in August. He knows about money and our allowance system in another year or so will be based on chores always with an opportunity to earn more if he wants to put in the effort.
As the boys get older, they will learn more about what we do and how we do it. I won't be surprised to see them start working online well before high school in some capacity.
A thought on private schools and home schooling:
Private schools can be excellent if they are the right kind of schools. Many of the private schools in my area work kids at a lower level than the public schools - at parent request. They are favored by parents who "don't want the pressure" of the highly competitive local high school and junior highs. They also want their children to have less competition for high GPAs thanks to our lovely 10% law for college admissions. Only a select few private schools truly push kids outside of what is required in the better public schools - at least in this area. I'd only consider private schools if I were forced into what I consider an unacceptable district/school or if my child has special needs that aren't well met in a public school environment.
The latest studies I've read on homeschooling show that it is an advantage or neutral benefit in elementary school since that material is at the comprehension and application level - facts and basic skills. But it is generally a disadvantage at the secondary level. I forget the exact reasons why, but they are varied and not just social in nature.
Virtual schooling at the elementary level is new - I need to investigate that more to form a "real" opinion.
