Part I: The system. The way we do school ; The three biggest myths about school -- Part II: Mismatches. You can't make the Earth go around the Sun faster ; Differences, disabilities, and disorders ; The perils of the gifted and the good ; The toxic classroom -- Part III: Taking control. Basic principles (or, How not to be "that" parent) ; Control the tests ; Challenge the homework monster ; Accelerate (but don't necessarily skip) ; Shift the method ;Teach, yourself -- Part IV: Rethinking the system. The end result ; The child's vision ; All the other things school does ; Solving for X -- Part V: Opting out. Deciding to homeschool ; Getting started in five steps ; Developing independence ; Out-of-the-box teaching strategies ; Radical alternatives -- Postscript: About college -- Appendix A: High school and the transcript -- Appendix B: Skills vs. content -- Appendix C: A brief essential bibliography.