After reading Wikipedia’s definition of what it means to be a buccaneer I believe James M. Bach’s term coining of the term buccaneer-scholars fits in perfectly with the ideas he is trying to convey. Bach writes “[Education is] not indoctrination, nor worshipping the ancients, nor obedience to authority… [It] is the you that emerges from the learning you do.” He elaborates by saying “Education is important. School is not. I didn’t need school. Neither do you”. What Bach’s theory on education and the buccaneers both believed that it was possible to excel (whether it be monetarily or academically) without having to follow the norms established by governing authorities. However, it is more complicated than what he is making it out to be.

Bach implies to the “at risk” students that it is possible to become successful without the need of traditional learning methods if they just educate themselves with topics which are interesting and fun to them. Similarly, the buccaneers decided to leave their homes along with the possibility of learning a trade or living off the land to instead live life in a more unorthodox manner. The problem with going down these unorthodox paths is that nothing is guaranteed. Sometimes the risks may outweigh the benefits. A simple man may dream of becoming a buccaneer but may die the first day out at sea. A student may choose to not attend school anymore believing all he has to do the self-educate but may end up being overwhelmed due to the lack of guidance.

In theory, the concept of Buccaneer-Scholars may sound interesting and doable on a case-by-case basis but the problem comes in putting it into effect over the whole population. According to the NYS Department of Education, “The object of the compulsory attendance law is to see that children are not left in ignorance, that from some source they receive the instruction that will fit them for their place in society.” Without a traditional education system in place, I fear that many students will not have all the tools necessary to distinguish facts from false statements.

The only benefits I see with Bach’s theory is that it will help give a small percentage of the population the freedom needed to explore beyond norm and if anything learn at a faster rate than that of a traditional curriculum just like Bach.