Quote:
Originally Posted by Garret
I agree that there are some boring or irrelevant (at least to some people) courses in school. I have had some very negative experiences with teachers who seem to know nothing about the subject they are teaching. I have also had to endure some extremely boring classes that to me seemed to have nothing to with to do with my career path. However I also saw the immense value in these courses. So in this way I completely disagree that any courses have nothing of value. Every subject has something of value, however it is up to the student to determine how much they want to get out of the class. In other words, if you do not see the point of a class then it is because you do not want to see the point of the class; it is not because the class is not worth taking. I understand that there are some bad teachers out there, but just because a teacher is bad does not mean that the class/subject is worthless. In the post you seem to say that history/government classes and calculus are pointless; I could not disagree more. Classes such as history and government are incredibly important to everyone, not just history or political science majors. Without a solid understanding of history and the function of government then we will be unable to fully understand the present day. If you are in FIRST Robotics then I cannot fathom how you call calculus pointless. Without math you eliminate almost every technical career and even some non-technical careers. I used to have trouble understanding the point of English and writing, but I eventually learned that without a solid foundation in either someone cannot hope to succeed in college. Every class that the school forces you to take has a purpose; it is meant to make you into a more well-rounded person. If you see subjects that you don't like or find boring as being of such little value that you call it "all garbage" then you really do not understand the point of education. Education is meant to teach as many of the skills you will need to become a successful member of society not just those that are related only to a single subject. What would the world be like if each person only could do one thing: nothing would get done because no one would know how to interface with their team. If your teachers are failing to teach the subject adequately and you want to understand it better then you need to try to supplement it or ask the teacher for more clarification/background/help. I do believe that much of our education system is way too theoretical and does not have enough application taught in classes but if it is not given then you need to learn it on your own and not just complain about how it isn't taught.
My points are philosophical they are not meant to attack or chastise you in anyway. In many ways I agree with you but I really think that all education is important.
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What I believe theprgramerdude was trying to convey was that the class is useless. Understand, there is a firm distinction between a class and a subject. There are many useless classes but there are no useless subjects. There are also many ways of making a class useless. Some teachers make their classes useless; Sometimes it is the textbook. Sometimes it is even the student that makes the class not worthwhile. Often it is a combination of several factors that are all far too complex to classify or assign blame for.
So, instead of saying "it is the teacher's fault" or "the students don't want to learn" or blaming it on any single thing we should focus more on accepting that sometimes classes just are "meaningless" and then how we can minimize the number that is.