I am with you on some aspects. However, I must say that I absolutely despise the point, "this is not something that will help them later in life. This topic is not going to help these students do abc. Not all students need to know xyz."
I don't find this acceptable. If we continue to teach to the lowest common denomenator, that is all we will produce. I find it to be an insult to education and the value of knowledge. I teach physics. Why the heck was I forced to read The Raven? Why was I educated in the field of history? What good does WWI or II do me. I was born a minimum of 25 years after their conclusion. Why, if I do not enjoy Great Expectations, must I read? If I never plan to vote, why must I be taught about the electoral college and the democratic process?
Note that I despise the point, not Steve.
I have heard a colleague attempt to make this point multiple times in the past. A chemistry teacher saying, "why do kids need to know about moles?" I abhor this point.
To wonder is to begin to understand.
Paul Lulai
Physics Teacher
St. Anthony Village Senior High
Saint Anthony Village, MN
55418
(w) 612-706-1144
(fax) 612-706-1020
plulai@stanthony.k12.mn.us