Misconception #10: We need to emphasize the most important subjects

Over the years, I have been writing about misconceptions regarding the schooling process. The purpose of these posts is to explain why I disagree with various comments that I have heard people make about schooling. These are meant as personal thoughts rather than conclusive proof, and I will admit that I'm not always the best at explaining my thoughts. Regardless, I have decided that I should be willing to share these posts when I encounter someone online who makes an argument that I have already discussed.

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We have all heard about the three R’s of schooling. I will leave the argument about what an R is for a later day, but the idea behind the three R’s is that there are certain subjects that the schools need to focus on due to their value. More recently, we have seen a push for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects. This is the same idea.

I will agree with the schools that some subjects are worth more than others. I will disagree with them that all students should focus on the same subjects. Different people are different. It’s not that difficult to understand. The ideal subjects for students is highly variable. While some subjects are more valuable than others, we should never assume that the overall value of these subjects matches the value to each and every student.

Interests are variable. A student’s ability to learn varies with the subject. Who and what they will become can be and should be significantly varied. What’s best for one student is not necessarily what’s best for other students. When schools insist that all children have to focus learning on specific subjects, those children will not have their educational needs met.

There is another drawback to emphasizing certain subjects. Children want to learn. At least they do before they enter school. Telling children that they have to learn something that they are not interested in will damage that desire far more than if they get to learn something that they are interested in.

Yes, children need to know how to read. Give them the freedom to learn what works for them rather than cramming literacy down their throats, and you will see that they actually want to learn how to read. Why? It’s because they will find that it’s necessary in order to learn what they want to learn. Sure, some of them will still struggle with the works of William Shakespeare, but how does that sort of lesson help with the real world? Besides, is it really a beneficial lesson to children that they have to view reading Shakespeare as an undesirable chore? I would much rather see children know how to do what they want to do than to have a textbook knowledge of things that they have learned to hate.