Why is it that schools insist on teaching unnecessary subjects?

Question

for example thing like calculus? its not like we're ever going to need it later in life. i think that basic math is all we need like addition subraction dividing and multiplying. like square roots nobody even uses them. and history about anvient civilizations is interesting but what if someone wants to be a hairdresser or a make up artist i dont really think there are many jobs out there that require you to know things like english literature or history or science. just my opinion

Answer 1

i know! i dont care about history and it will never help me. same goes for most science classes.

Answer 2

Depending on what you do later in life, you may very well need calculus.  The same applies for the other classes to which you are referring.  These classes will help to provide the basis of a college education.  If you wish to go to trade school instead, perhaps you should see whether or not there is a program for you to finish high school at a trade school or go to a technical school that will not require you to take classes that focus on the liberal arts.

Answer 3

Actually, if you want to be a Hairdresser, you don't need calculus, but if you want to be a Software Arthitect or a Physical Engineer, you do.  If you want to be a Fashion Designer, you need geometry.  C=pi2r I use all the time, making custom wedding dresses.  Notice that the jobs that need education pay more than the jobs that don't.

As for Ancient history, one thing you learn is that a lot of the stuff people think are new crises are actually things folks have been complaining about for centuries. ("Kids these days..." for one.  Pretty pathetic, eh?)  Taking a longer perspective also helps you learn to think things through so you're less likely to make impulsive choices which have consequences you regret later.  Plus some of it is really cool stories, which is why Beowulf and 300 can make big bucks at the box office.

Knowing a bit about science means you're less likely to poison yourself, for example, because you know that ammonia and chlorine make deadly gas, and you'll need some chemistry anyway to be a make-up artist, because make-up is made of chemicals, and you need to know how they'll interact.

Really a lot of the subjects are good more for learning how to think than for specific content.  I didn't like some of my lit classes, but I did learn how to analyze a piece of writing and how to use words my own self. :)

Answer 4

In ways [since I still am in high school] I totally understand what you're saying. Really, I do.

However, being only a senior and already juggling with many of the different prospective fields I may or may not choose to go into...It's definitely nice knowing that I am not missing out on things just because they seem "tedious" to me right now. What's going to happen two years into college and you decide that the "hairdresser" goal isn't really for you or that being a make-up artist isn't what you want to spend the rest of your life doing? I promise you, those extra classes you were "forced" to take will seem like a wish come true. Even if you forget 95% percent of it by that time. With th 5% that's still somewhere in the back of your mind, you could possibly tap into the specific lesson much easier than being completely clueless.

See what I mean? You always gain from learning something. No matter what it may be.  

Answer 5

I know.

They should teach facts of life and teach you stuff you need to know about life and stuff....

Answer 6

Speak for yourself.  Most people I know ended up using calculus - medicine, science, business, architecture, engineering, and more.  And all of those fields and more are expected to be able to communicate clearly and write papers and grants.  Not knowing basic history, language skills, math, and science makes you uneducated.  If you want to be an uneducated hairdresser, that's fine, just drop out of high school and go for it.  But your tax dollars are paying for you to get an education, so don't diss it.

Answer 7

i couldn't agree with u more......i will never need to know how to prove a triangle ever again...i already know what i want to do when i grow up and it does not involve calculus.....it is nice to get exposed to different things but when they get to the point that they r to hard and to unnecessary i dont see why we need to learn them

Answer 8

All those courses have a purpose, and that is that there should be a certain level of literacy and education in the country.  Most teach critical reasoning, and a background on how this country came to be is not such a bad thing.  I'm a big proponent of a liberal arts education, meaning all those boring courses.  Learning about calculus is also about logic (I didn't like it either), and there application in everyday life beyond adding, etc.  Many jobs require a broad array of knowledge, and you need to know how to critical analyze something, even in fairly mundane jobs (if you want to get ahead).  And besides, how can you be an interesting person if you don't know things??

I do agree that kids in school don't learn a lot of common sense, such as how to treat customers, how to dress appropriately and how to listen.  But that's another story.