Friday, April 23, 2010

Where are all the unschooled doctors?

What's with the comments about unschoolers not being doctors and scientists and lawyers but end up in the 'the softer' professions-musicians, earth-lovers, cooks, writers?
I'm seeing this recent tendency popping up continuously on some blogs I'm following-undoubtedly, as an off shoot of Good Morning America's unschool trashing.
A video that radiofreeschool produced of unschooler Kate Cayley has been the target of similar type of commentary.
Basically what these commentators are implying is that if you are home educated or unschooled, you end up doing something that is not 'hard core.'

What these people don't realize is that those who are encouraged to pursue their passions do just that; and if we hear about people for whom being a doctor is low on their list then it is more of a reflection of their choice than of their ability.
Maybe because unschooled kids are encouraged to be in touch with who they are, they feel less pressure to perform or go into professions that will give them monetary advantage but might not be their calling.

Did you know that the head of the prestigious Human Genome Project was unschooled by his mother? Or that a professor of mathematics at MIT started teaching there at age 19 was unschooled by his father; never having touched formal mathematics until he was 12 (google Erik Demaine or listen to an interview radiofreeschool did with him a few years ago).

Any unschooler knows that if they want to be a doctor they will go to University. If they don't have the papers yet, they will get them (unless they prefer to enter as a mature student at age 19 and then switch majors).

My question then to those schooled 'nay sayers' is are you a doctor?

Is everyone in that huge pool of people you went to school with a doctor or a lawyer? If you answer is no then tell me why not?

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