Most high school educations consists of a basic understanding of american history, the sciences, english grammar, classic literature, and the dreaded math classes. Many students will complain about the information they learn in school as being useless, which I do not totally agree with, but to a certain extent it may be true. The average person will not need to know how to solve the quadratic equation to get through everyday life, but a general understanding of these subjects is useful. Here is a reimagining of the high school curriculum so that it better suits everyday life.
English
Most of high school English is spent reading dusty old novels that have little relevancy in today’s world. Although these books may be famous, many of them are extremely out-dated. We were rigorously instructed on how to write persuasive papers as well as analytical papers. These may be useful in certain situations, but I think it would be far more beneficial to learn how to critically read a textbook and write personal statements for jobs, college, scholarship, and post graduate applications.There have been many times that I wish I had been taught how to write great personal statements. This is useful for every person who applies for college as they have been asked to write about themselves for the actual college application or a scholarship application. I have also applied for research grants that often require a personal statement. Being able to read a textbook and pick out the important pieces has also been my most useful skill in college. I have found that classes, especially the introductory level courses, closely follow their companion textbooks; This means that the tests typically test on information covered in the book. Also, if you didn’t understand something the lecturer went over, the textbook can help clarify. I also wish that high school English helped students find books they liked to read on their own personal time as hardly any college students read for fun.
Math
I believe that the current entry level math courses are pretty useful. What I think should be taught more heavily in math is mental math. The ability to quickly do addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication in your head is a highly useful skill. It is much easier to be able to figure out how much to tip without pulling out a calculator. Eventually, these calculations become second nature and they really become a big time saver. It is very useful to estimate prices after tax, or sale prices. My girlfriend certainly knows that I think it's an important skill because whenever she asks me what a price would be or how much to tip, I always reply “you tell me” to try and get her to do some mental math. It is also a neat trick, because many people are amazed when I don’t need a calculator.
Social Studies
Most social studies classes are actually just history classes; world history, American history, and European history are all common classes. I think that we should be taught more about different cultures and religions so that we can better understand our peers. I took a world religions course one summer and realized what I thought I knew about other religions was almost completely wrong. Culture is also heavily influenced by religion and a lot can be learned about people based on their culture and religion. It will help people of different backgrounds understand each other and help get rid of prejudices. College is made up of people of many different cultures and nationalities, so it would help more people from different backgrounds have a better understanding of each other.
Science
I am a science enthusiast but found that students outside of the sciences really do not care for it. And that is fair, considering that someone's life may not be affected by a deep understanding of chemistry, physics, or biology. But I think there are some ideas of science that most people should know and understand. The first, a highly debated topic, is evolution. Now I am not saying that you can’t believe in a different idea like creationism, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, but evolution is an important and relevant concept. Another science that is important is environmental science because everyone is affected by the environment. People should be educated on the problems in our environment and how to better protect it. Lastly, I believe that science is a useful tool to teach critical thinking and gives students the ability to study their environment analytically.
