Should useless subjects be removed from the school system?

[Senathor]

And you will probably be a dropkick without a future.

I study economy. Please tell me how history about random kings and math beyond anything involving money is going to help me? I mean there's not one single person in my class that does not agree with me.

---------- Post added 2013-04-30 at 11:13 AM ----------

So not only do you willfully ignore the importance of STEM (and literacy), you don't even read posts properly?

My interpretation of them is controversial is suppose.

[Foxtails]

In Victoria you get to choose your own subjects from year 9+ the only thing that has to be studied is English.

[MerinPally]

I study economy. Please tell me how history about random kings and math beyond anything involving money is going to help me? I mean there's not one single person in my class that does not agree with me.

If you studied Economics half as well as you think you do you'd know about loads of statistics and rates of change and measuring and stuff. And if you think History is about memorizing kings you never paid attention in history class. There's more to economy than measuring numbers, markets react to stuff around the world which doesn't involve money necessarily. Hell, when Steve Jobs died markets dropped. You can't place an economic value on a human life.

[Senathor]

If you studied Economics half as well as you think you do you'd know about loads of statistics and rates of change and measuring and stuff. And if you think History is about memorizing kings you never paid attention in history class. There's more to economy than measuring numbers, markets react to stuff around the world which doesn't involve money necessarily. Hell, when Steve Jobs died markets dropped. You can't place an economic value on a human life.

Well, that's definitely not the kind of history we had. It had NOTHING to do with money. Maybe u went to some economic-history class, but mine had nothing to do with it. High school history in Sweden is nothing really.

[Deleted]

I study economy. Please tell me how history about random kings and math beyond anything involving money is going to help me? I mean there's not one single person in my class that does not agree with me.

---------- Post added 2013-04-30 at 11:13 AM ----------



My interpretation of them is controversial is suppose.

Oh god not another of those "economic guru"...
I think recent history should be a compulsory subject for people studying economy so they can realise how much thy FUCKED UP the rest of the world.

[Snuffleupagus]

If you studied Economics half as well as you think you do you'd know about loads of statistics and rates of change and measuring and stuff. And if you think History is about memorizing kings you never paid attention in history class. There's more to economy than measuring numbers, markets react to stuff around the world which doesn't involve money necessarily. Hell, when Steve Jobs died markets dropped. You can't place an economic value on a human life.

No no, don't question the Economics students - past behavior is not used as a predictor of future behavior.

History is useless.

[LocNess]

Well, that's definitely not the kind of history we had. It had NOTHING to do with money. Maybe u went to some economic-history class, but mine had nothing to do with it. High school history in Sweden is nothing really.

You had to have a shitty history class then.

---------- Post added 2013-04-30 at 07:19 AM ----------

No no, don't question the Economics students - past behavior is not used as a predictor of future behavior.

History is useless.

Not sure if serious?

[Snuffleupagus]

I study economy. Please tell me how history about random kings and math beyond anything involving money is going to help me? I mean there's not one single person in my class that does not agree with me.

I understand the GFC now.

My interpretation of them is controversial is suppose.

Controversial and wrong are two very different things.

[Lily Crowley]

I'll tell you whats useless; poem analyzation (probably not exactly what it is called for you, I just translated directly here).

[Deleted]

I'm shocked you had an hour a week of Jewish history. It doesn't make any sense. Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?

Bucharest, Romania.

[MerinPally]

No no, don't question the Economics students - past behavior is not used as a predictor of future behavior.

History is useless.

Indeed, I can sit here and employ the wealth of someone who worked at JP Morgan for over 25 years or a student. Gona need some thinking time though

[LocNess]

I'll tell you whats useless; poem analyzation (probably not exactly what it is called for you, I just translated directly here).

If that is a class you had to take then yeah that is bloody useless.

[Neliah]

But in order for the students to have an interest/know what the subject is about, they need to be exposed to it beforehand. That's where having any/all subjects comes in play. Eg. If you did not have a class in economics, how would you ever know what it is about? If you have no clue what the subject is, how do you even have an interest in it in the first place?

IMO each subject should be in the curriculum at least for a year in a students life so they are exposed to it. Having subjects like geography or economics compulsory for 3-5 years defeats the purpose if the student has no interest in it. They'll just be memorising the shit to pass the subject and not learn anything.

No, even sitting and learning about something for a whole year that you don't like can seriously put you off (I quit school when I was 14 years old and went to a boarding school and still never studied because nothing caught my interest). Maybe a 4 week introduction class where they get introduced to the classes (4 weeks for each class on different levels, starting from basics of course) would help them pick out what they want to actually study. Tbh, the only things I've ever used after I left highschool is English, art, poetry and a silly small amount of math. I really wish that I could have been introduced to more interesting things that appeal to my interests when I was younger.
The whole analyzing old danish poems is such a drag because it's all we do/did in my Danish classes - they could have put 2 language classes together (Danish - French, German - English ect) and you would have some variety in your classes to keep you on your toes, but doing the same thing over and over isn't really interesing, and it certainly did not make me want to learn more...

Majority of the things I know of today (History, cultures, French, poetry, astronomy, biology) all comes from reading and learning about it - online. I had the freedom to pick and throw away what I wanted to learn, and it make me want to learn about more things within the limits of my quite picky interests. Schools should be more flexible, or find new ways of making the different things interesting since people learn in different ways. Some learn by listening/reading and others learn by the visuals, they could combine those 2 (my classes were -always- about staring at the board and listening, no interesting examples were ever shown). Though, my physics teacher was probably the only teacher that made any of the classes a great laugh, but that was mostly because he was a nutcase and almost managed to make the classroom explode twice a week.. :P

[Kasierith]

I'll tell you whats useless; poem analyzation (probably not exactly what it is called for you, I just translated directly here).

Not true, actually; it's not the most useful, but being able to dissect multiple literary elements and form a cohesive interpretation out of what you've extrapolated is a key component of critical reading. You just have to be cognizant of what it is you can pull out of your analyses and what you can focus on to improve your reading comprehension.

[MerinPally]

I'll tell you whats useless; poem analyzation (probably not exactly what it is called for you, I just translated directly here).

In the UK we had to do 2 GCSE's in English - Language and Literature. For the Literature paper we had to analyze poems for half of it -.- Was dire. The other part was analyzing a play.

[Neliah]

In Victoria you get to choose your own subjects from year 9+ the only thing that has to be studied is English.

Really? Please enlighten me, are the kids introduced to all the subjects at some point to help them decide what they want to get involved in?

[Deleted]

Sometimes knowing something exists and what rules and logic it obeys is more important than actually using it.

Maths is such a case. Although we don't commonly use high-level mathematics in every day life it's useful to have an idea of what maths can say/predict etc.

[Neliah]

I'll tell you whats useless; poem analyzation (probably not exactly what it is called for you, I just translated directly here).

It can be interesting and give you an insight to how the mind worked of the creator who wrote it, but when it's all you do... Then I agree that it becomes a complete pain in the ass...

[Snowcharm]

No not removed per se but make students be able to pick what they like while doing other stuff at a very basic level. Let me explain :

A) Johnny likes arts history and literature. So he'll study those 85% of the time while doing one of : Math/Chem/Physics at a very basic level with no stress and indulgent professor(s).

B) Mary is into Math/Chem/IT so she'll do those 85% while picking one of : Literature/Arts/History at a very basic level with no stress and indulgent professor(s).

Then the schools/unis can make packs like the ones you find at a AT&T/Orange shops and pick those.

[MerinPally]

It can be interesting and give you an insight to how the mind worked of the creator who wrote it, but when it's all you do... Then I agree that it becomes a complete pain in the ass...

It's when it gets to the point where you see a line of "The sky was blue" and your teacher is going on about symbolism and maybe if they can squeeze anthropomorphism in there it's a good day, but all the rest of us see is a description of the location. It's difficult to retain interest in it should you be one of those people.