About Dr. Mielke
Karen Betts Mielke, MD, JD
I am a Board Certified Pediatrician and Attorney, teaching high school courses to home educated students. I have a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics/Chemistry from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, VA; a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School; completed residency training in Pediatrics at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, MN; and a law degree from The University of Montana School of Law in Missoula. Though licensed to practice law and medicine in both Minnesota and Montana, I believe my calling to be teaching.
I am the mother of two young men. My oldest was home educated for the last five years of school and is currently a college sophomore studying anthropology and biology at Beloit College. My younger son is a senior at Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, MN. He was home educated in the sixth and seventh grades. He is a student athlete and is applying to colleges this year.
I am passionate about children. I believe that children should be loved, cherished, and nurtured into adulthood, and that parents are responsible for the upbringing of children, including choices about education. Parenting is a challenging and humbling calling which requires patience, skill, and a strong moral compass. Learning new things and teaching others puts our God-given intellect to good use. There is always more to be learned. I am an expert learner, and I strive to pass on the thrill of life-long learning to my students.
Children are not all alike, and so their learning happens differently. Those who teach need to recognize this and adapt their teaching accordingly while assisting students with study and organizational skills. Likewise, students need to understand their strengths and weaknesses and learn to compensate to maximize their own potential. Each of us is limited only by our imagination and desire.
