Recently there have been some advertisements promoting people to review the current Australian School Curriculum for all of their schooling in the subjects of English, History, Mathematics and Science.

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home


At the moment English is a mandatory subject and must be taken at some level throughout a students school, even in their final years when they are given the opportunity to choose all of their subjects, they must choose English.

I started to think to myself "There are some subjects that students instantly turn their noses up at that should be made mandatory or at least more available as these subjects are more beneficial in modern life."

This is why I would like to know:
Which subjects do you think should be taught in schools; if the subject is already being taught, what measures do you think could be taken in order to promote or insist that students undertake these subjects in order to benefit themselves?

And also;

What subjects do you think are becoming redundant and/or are overvalued in terms of practical use in modern day life as opposed to job specific requirements for which it would seem they are meant for?



I personally think that Economics and Philosophy need a lot more light. Science also, but certainly not English. The English being taught to me at this present day is mostly about techniques used to convey ideas, ideologies or points of view of either the author or the characters. I feel it is redundant teaching most of the people at my school these things as the majority of them that will ever analyse a text in that much detail is far outweighed by those who will not. Not ever.

Economics, I think, are of vital importance to the success of modern people as no matter where you are in the world or who you are and whatever your financial, social, religious etc. status, Economics applies to you in some way or another. If I were to compare the amount of jobs and life situations in which I would need either Economics or the curriculum taught in English at this current day, there is no doubt in my mind that I would see Economics put English to shame.

Not only would Economics allow everyday middle-class families to invest wisely, evaluate their financial stand point and the appropriate actions that they should take in terms of external threats of the economy in order to maintain financial stability, but it would also allow them to become informed voters. My mother, god love her, has no idea about Economics. If she heard it on the news, that is what she believes. If she read it in the paper, that is what she believes. She bases her opinions of politicians and political parties on propaganda and lies. Not only do I find myself trying to correct her, but I also find myself at a loss at how to communicate basic economic theory to someone with absolutely no knowledge of economic principals. Thus, if my mother had a basic knowledge of Economics she may already see for herself that her method of voting is flawed and/or I may be able to explain it in more detail to her and have her understand.

tl;dr If everyone knew Economics, politicians would have a much harder time lying to us.


Now, I'm no philosophical genius and I am certainly very very new to philosophy, but having read and listened to what I have, I feel that I have had my eyes opened to new depths of thinking and understanding. I feel that through learning about philosophy I have unlocked small sections of my brain which have allowed me to look at things a little differently. I believe that people are born as capable as they will ever be, although we do grow to become fully formed, once fully formed, provided we have not exposed our bodies to excess damage i.e. alcohol, drugs, cigarettes etc. then that is as good as they will ever be in terms of anatomical and mental capabilities. But, having said that, I do not believe that everyone reaches their full capabilities ever. There are some that are closer to it than others but for the most part everyone is way off. I believe that Philosophy brings you closer to your full mental capabilities and in fact makes you smarter. This is not to say that I have increased my capabilities in terms of mental prowess, just that I have "put a bit more water in the bucket" so to speak.


Unfortunately, both of these subjects are considered very intellectual and many people are turned off by the idea of "thinking" and "analysing" as opposed to doing Physical Education where they run around kicking a ball. I hate that these subjects, although I believe them to be of vital importance to society, are seen as unimportant and/or not needed for everyday life.


Well? What do you think?