Whoopi Goldgerg didn't even make it through the first month of high school before dropping out. Two weeks in, she quit. She didn't know that she had dyslexia, which was why she
struggled so much with her school work, and frustrated her teachers. She didn't have an easy time finding work either. Between long periods of unemployment, she worked as a bricklayer and a funeral parlor make up artist.
Whoopie's generation was far more likely to drop out of high school. She is about 10 years younger than my dad who left high school in the 9th grade as well. There was no such thing as homeschooling, and it certainly was not documented as a movement until the 1980's, when she was already grown and working as a comedian. I am not saying that she didn't attempt to expand her personal knowledge after dropping out of high school, but if she homeschooled, I would think that the words would have come from her lips at some point. There is just a ton more evidence that she dropped out than otherwise.
I have nothing against Whoopie. In fact, I love her... idolize her... almost worship her. I'd probably faint if I met her. That's how much I love her. But I can find no substantial information on the fact that she homeschooled... please correct me if I am wrong.
I don't believe that there is any shame in Whoopie dropping out of high school. The shame would have been in if she'd done nothing with her life after the fact. She found a way to overcome her dyslexia, created what is probably the best one-woman-show ever, and rose to stardom and fame, overcoming personal demons along the way. The fact that she is still going strong shows that she has found a way to continue to educate and elevate herself along the way... That's kind of what homeschooling is about.
Maybe that's why she keeps on popping up on lists of homeschooled celebrities.
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6 comments:
That's weird. She strikes me as one of those anti-homeschooling liberal types, but I guess you never know. I know zero about her actual personal opinions on homeschooling.
Maybe people like to make up lies to bolster their case that homeschooling is a good thing... I don't think that's such a hot idea.
Whoopie Goldberg is liberal but I seriously doubt that she is anti-homeschooling. From what I have gathered from the many things she has said about education is that it needs to be more creative and flexible.
I happen to know many liberal homeschoolers.
p.s. I don't know that people are so much lying outright, but being very creative in order to make an impressive list of homeschooled celebs... still, I think we have enough distinguished homeschoolers to not tack anyone who didn't graduate high school and is famous on the list. It makes us look desperate.
I agree. Lincoln was homeschooled, etc. We just don't need it.
Yes, there was such a thing as homeschooling in the 60's etc.
Ok... but that doesn't mean Whoopie Goldberg homeschooled. If she did, she would have gone up-side Joy Behar's head one of the many time she slammed homeschoolers on the show.
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