I'm an Acne accredited supergenius and a dirt road scholar- none of that superficial street smarts for this boy.
The root word of education is "educe" which means "to draw out."
Our (American) educational system does exactly that - draws it out- 12 years of 'English' is time wasted when talking to a graduate or reading their composts. As for math or sciences- there's plenty of room for a lot more effort.
The best way to learn is through fun and play and failure. A dozen years of that might seem like a waste of tax money, but really?
My childhood had little fun in it, though I wished to be a sponge for all information and skills. It has been wisely stated that it is never too late for a happy childhood, so here I am in a sandbox full of electrons.