I don't think its a bad idea as long as you have someone around to keep them from playing video games all day every day.
I've probably learned more in the last few years than I ever have, and simply because I focus on what interests me and learn a lot about it. I do however feel that a generally knowledge should be standard for everyone, regardless of how they get their education. The main reason is that everyone should understand how the government works or how basic biology works, even if they have no interest. The second reason is that not everything you can be in life is endemic to a natural learning situation. If it wasn't for my 7th grade social studies class, I probably wouldn't have gone to college for anthropology/archaeology.
That being said, I managed to manipulate the standard college experience into something entirely different. A lot of compromising with my professors allowed me to learn at my own pace and to study when I had time. When they allowed this, I got A's. When I was put on a rigid schedule... I got C's. I even managed a similar situation in high school where in a few of my classes, I handed all the homework in at the end of the semester. It worked better for me. Also, my senior year of high school, I had no required coursework left and opted to take Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, and Digital Media in the same semester and I got straight A's. All the years before that, I had been a B student, even in the classes I enjoyed. I believe this was simply because I wasn't able to focus my attention where I wanted, as well as a general lack of parallel ideas in many of the classes. Considering I had to take Political Science and US History, I probably would have done significantly better in both of those classes had I had them the same semester.
Ok. That is all.
