Should useless subjects be removed from the school system?

[docterfreeze]

By "useless" I mean subjects you have not once used since you have gotten out of school (advanced forms of math, chemistry, etc...)

Just wondering what you guys/gals think of this idea.

EDIT: Also, if yes, do you think those subjects should be replaced with things that could help you more in the real world like mandatory cooking class, or learning how to write a resume... even how to find a job!

[Rec]

Uhm... many people use math and chemistry in their professions.

Edit: Beyond this, just because you personally do not take advantage of a specific subject daily, doesn't mean you didn't learn something. Study habits, problem solving, whatever it may be.

[Not Helping]

History as a whole should be removed.

[Romeothecat]

No.
/10 chars

[Thedude]

yer how exactly is advanced maths and chemistry useless?

[Rucati]

No there's not really any "useless" classes, aside from maybe history because really who cares what happened in the past we can't really fix it. There's almost no way to judge what's useless and what isn't useless.

[Users]

By "useless" I mean subjects you have not once used since you have gotten out of school (advanced forms of math, chemistry, etc...)

Just wondering what you guys/gals think of this idea.

Hahahahahahahaha no.

[Roose]

Only subject that I would drop is grammar. People obviously do not get it.

I would prefer warning labels on degrees that will get you nowhere. Can't learn enough.

[MathAddict]

By "useless" I mean subjects you have not once used since you have gotten out of school (advanced forms of math, chemistry, etc...)

Just wondering what you guys/gals think of this idea.

I think in most high schools you don't have to take any advanced math or science classes to graduate. People in my high school could get by with just physical science and algebra 2 being their senior level choices.


Many of those subjects such as chemistry and mathematics foster critical thinking. By far, one of the most important assets you can develop from education is critical thinking. If I had a say in the matter, I would gladly see classes like history and geography put into the category of electives and have people double down on a mandatory dose of STEM education.

[docterfreeze]

Hahahahahahahaha no.

Please, tell me at what point in your daily routine do you mix chemicals or solve calculus?

[Lucetia]

By "useless" I mean subjects you have not once used since you have gotten out of school (advanced forms of math, chemistry, etc...)

Just wondering what you guys/gals think of this idea.

Just because you believe they are useless, they are not. Pretty much all subjects you learn you use at one point in your life without even realizing it. Such as various math formulas, coming to conclusions, mixing things, etc. All forms of something you've learned. Most believe that it's useless because they don't use a math formula exactly or need to recite the Periodic Table of Elements.

[MathAddict]

Please, tell me at what point in your daily routine do you mix chemicals or solve calculus?

cooking and driving

[Adam Jensen]

Math teaches logic and problem solving skills. And while it may be useless to some, it's also useful to those who go into professions that need those skills. So no.

[Merite]

I haven't read a novel since I was in school, literally. So are you saying that English is a useless subject?

Even if you don't use the subject, learning something that makes you think critically and problem solve is basically practice. Practicing on harder material makes that practice more valuable. If nothing else, that merits "useless" subjects to be of higher value to me than most "useful subjects".

If social studies, geography and history are in useful subjects, when was the last time you used anything you learned except for trivia night at your bar? Pretty sure you just went to wikipedia or pulled up Google Maps.


Quite frankly, I would argue the opposite, I think subjects that teach you understanding are 100x more valuable than subjects that teach you knowledge. Knowledge's usefulness drastically decreases as it's availability increases.

“Never memorize something that you can look up.”

While, I could look up a trig formula, when I need to do trig once every few months, it would take me far longer to go to Wikipedia and figure out how to solve a problem than it would for me to go to Wikipedia and look up when Napoleon died.

[docterfreeze]

cooking and driving

You solve calculus while you drive? Sheesh, someone should take your license...

[Gemini Sunrise]

It's only as useless as you make it.

[Users]

Please, tell me at what point in your daily routine do you mix chemicals or solve calculus?

Because this.

Many of those subjects such as chemistry and mathematics foster critical thinking. By far, one of the most important assets you can develop from education is critical thinking.

It fosters a higher level of thinking, use of logic, and in my opinion, and apparently the minds of people who make high school graduation requirements, is something that's very important to develop in kids.

[MatadorMedia]

No subject is useless. Having a rudimentary understanding of all subjects is the point of general education. Then you go into a general knowledge area of a certain subject in college, a specialized field of a subject in grad school, and an exact problem area of that specialized field in a doctoral program. That's the education system; that's how it works.

[Deadvolcanoes]

I advocate for the removal of a foreign language requirement.

In 5-10 years, we'll all have an instant, universal translator on our phones.

[MathAddict]

Math teaches logic and problem solving skills. And while it may be useless to some, it's also useful to those who go into professions that need those skills. So no.

Even if you don't go into a profession that requires a mathematical skill set, logic and problem solving (critical thinking) can benefit everyone in everyday life.