For me I received excellent education because my parents picked the right geography to live in. I attended what might be the best public school system in the US before it became inundated with extreme wealth.

I have found that I have gotten through life well enough by skills and intelligence alone so I never placed much consideration into academics. This has proven exceptionally disappointing as it directly determines your peer group. As such I instruct my own children to balance good grades from more challenging classes against making proper life decisions. I am quick to remind them that as high school draws to a close they are on their way towards being cut off from their parents. That reality is as equally challenging and foreign to them as it is to my spouse. Nonetheless, if you want your children to be worth anything push them to have initiative and be competitive.

You would have to define what “best” means to you and then probably accept that’s a direction rather than a goal. You won’t have complete control over the process.

I tried to encourage curiosity. My kids mostly did their own thing with lots of guidance and opportunities made available — unschooling.

Montessori style seems to map best to how children most readily learn, but each child learns differently so there’s no single “best” anything. You experiment and adapt.

I think the worst approach happens when parents think they can mold and shape their child into their own vision, and don’t accept or acknowledge the individuality of their child.

1. Be interested in their 'developmental stages' (different ages are different)

2. Be interested in their interests.

3. Your enthusiasm matters more than almost anything else.

I've heard of Russian maths teaching style.