So I know we have been talking a lot about how annoying it is to take classes that won't really be helpful to our future careers. During college I have pretty much known what career I was going into and it does get frustrating when you think about all of the extra classes you have to take (and pay for) that don't actually have anything to do with your major. So as much as I would like to not have to pay for or take these classes, I was thinking about how important classes like these are for people who don't know what they want to do for the rest of their life. As far as students in K-12, I think these classes are necessary so that you can explore the subjects that interest you and learn that there are some you don't really like. Like Michelle mentioned in class, the purpose of education can be to find your identity. I think by taking a wide variety of classes and learning about what you like and don't like, you are learning a lot about yourself. Without the variety of classes in K-12, I don't think most people would have any clue about what career they want to pursue when they get to college.
Here is an article I found, titled "Why Do I Have to Take Algebra?" Here are a few of the things I found helpful:
"But consider: You didn't learn your alphabet
all those years ago because you knew you'd be reading Moby Dick
this semester. In the same way, you don't take algebra now because you
know that you'll be factoring quadratics in ten years. You should take
math and science courses now for much the same reason you learned your
letters back then: to lay the foundation for bigger and better things
to come, and to open up new opportunities for future pleasures and successes.
Nobody can say with assurance what skills
will be needed twenty years from now. But what intelligent person would
want to cut himself off from future opportunities and growth by refusing
to expose himself to at least some of the knowledge which will be foundational
for whatever is yet to come?"
Alyssa, I really enjoyed your blog post! I agree that it is often frustrating to take classes that feel irrelevant to what our goals are. I feel that your article/quote do a good job illustrating the importance of our education. I hate to admit it, but I do see how taking the classes that only apply to our career would create narrow-minded and ill-adapted people. Not only would students' knowledge be limited, but their ability to adjust to circumstances would not be great.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Electives can be the foundation for bigger and better things to come. Why not expose ourselves to new opportunities now when we have the chance to do so! Electives (even though they’re mostly forced on students and cost a lot of money…) can be a great opportunity to learn something you otherwise might not have learned. They are a chance to help you stretch as an intellectual human being. This is what the college experience is about, right, learning new things? Here’s the link to a website I came across when researching the purpose of electives: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-elective-courses.htm The website mentions that electives open the door for new interests that may help guide a student to a future they hadn’t previously thought of. For people who already know what they want to do career wise in life, maybe electives help open doors for possible minors?
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