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Comment by pfarnsworth | Hacker News Reader

One of my coworkers who is in his early/mid 20s didn't know what Leap Year was until his Junior year. He went to elite private schools in the Bay Area, probably among the most elite, and then went to a very good college. The idea that he could escape knowing what Leap Year was made me question whether I should home school my children.

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Once we teach kids how to do their taxes and vote we can move on the hard stuff like Leap Years.

You could also send your kids to public school and then supplement their education on your own, a tactic sometimes referred to as "parenting".

You obviously don't have kids going to a public school in the Bay Area. The local school superintendent literally begged for money from the parents because they didn't have enough money. Class sizes are huge, and they only care about standardized tests because that's how teachers and schools are evaluated. It is not the same public school system that I grew up on, that's for sure.

Everyone has weird gaps in their knowledge. Especially things that are common knowledge.

I wouldn’t want a school covering leap year.

I agree with the "weird gaps in knowledge" part, but I would want a school covering leap years. Leap years are an excellent introduction to astronomy and our solar system.

I don't think it's necessarily a huge failing to not know about this/not teach your kid about it. Different kids have different curiosities, and as long as he is intellectually curious, and just didn't happen upon that particular calendrical oddity, then no biggie.

However, I've seen some evidence that it is possible to do well at elite bay area schools without having much intellectual curiosity, and most teachers will give you high marks just for hard work and obedience.

I'd say you are likely to come out ahead if you ignore elite status, and instead focus on whether teachers at your kids' schools nourish their intellectual curiosity.

Parents (i.e. the customers) have influence, the product that they are buying isn't necessarily an academic education for their children.

Yes, I agree. The real cause of this issue.

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