Should students be told some subjects are more important than others?

[insomniac17]

Hawkeye said:

insomniac17 said:
My honest opinion is that in high school, people do need to take some science classes for sure, history is always good to know, math is a must, but english... eh.

I really couldn't care less about english. I honestly haven't learned anything useful in my 4 years at high school. I've taken the most advanced english classes possible, but I want to be an engineer, and I do not need to know how to interpret the meaning in a poem/novel/etc. It's a complete waste of time; it's like they ran out of stuff to teach us in middle school so they decided to come up with some bullcrap to keep us busy for the next 4 years.

Another thing...
http://progressiveboink.com/nick/images/calvinandhobbes/CH940127.JPG

Do I really need to know stuff like that? No, not really. That's why I think that some history is good, but we don't really -need- to know exact dates for all the information we're given; I don't remember half the dates I learned in my AP US History class last year because it was pointless.

 

Music- rational thinking, understanding of inherent bueaty, understand the contectedness fo the world

English- Thematic thinking, communication. (Honestly, if you want to be a top engineer, you need this subject alot. The same way a top accountant needs social skills. The project manager has to write out the propoals/understand how everything connect, and be able to talk well. English helps with this. Most engieers don't have it, which is why the leader does)

ect

most subjects are important overall. Art is more personall and beyond basic art its probably not that worthwhile unless a person really wants to pursue art.

Well, I'm in two band classes, but I actually enjoy those. They aren't required either.

My point with english is based on my own school. I have learned nothing useful. Nothing. Honestly, I don't even need english to learn that stuff anyway; I learned most of it before I even got to high school. Maybe if the english classes at my school actually taught me something useful I wouldn't be so against them, but they don't.

For example, we have been reading a play in there called The Importance of Being Earnest (which is actually very good, despite all the crap we're being forced to do with it). We have to act out a scene of this for the class. There is no reason, other than to act it out. When will I need to use this? We could be doing something productive in the class, but no!

Another thing. We just had a poetry unit. We read all kinds of dark, depressing poetry. Why would I want to read that? When will I need to know how the literary techniques used in a poem add to the overall meaning of that poem? I won't. I hate poetry, but being forced to do stuff like that just makes it worse. 

Yes, I can't stand my english class, but that's because it is a complete waste of time. I have done nothing new in the 4 years I've had it at high school, and what I have done serves me no purpose other than to waste time I could be using to do something I will use, such as Calculus or Physics. Lame.