Learning ‘academic’ math is more about learning a framework for better understanding and interrogating the world around you. It’s a lifelong skill that continues to build as you grow and become more experienced in life.
Learning how to do your taxes is, like, a YouTube search and 30 minutes away. Is it practical to be taught in high school? Sure, I guess. Maybe in a dedicated finance management course. Will that process change as you get older and shift careers, life situations, and potentially move? Most assuredly.
All that to say: I’ve never understood this line of thought. It’s like when people go to college expecting to learn the absolute most practical and directly applicable aspects of whatever career they’ve chosen. That’s, frankly, not a very good way to teach the future generation or to become more capable yourself. You want people who can adapt to challenges and new ideas within the profession; not people that only know how to do something a very specific way because “that’s how they were taught”.
Learning ‘academic’ math is more about learning a framework for better understanding and interrogating the world around you. It’s a lifelong skill that continues to build as you grow and become more experienced in life.
Learning how to do your taxes is, like, a YouTube search and 30 minutes away. Is it practical to be taught in high school? Sure, I guess. Maybe in a dedicated finance management course. Will that process change as you get older and shift careers, life situations, and potentially move? Most assuredly.
All that to say: I’ve never understood this line of thought. It’s like when people go to college expecting to learn the absolute most practical and directly applicable aspects of whatever career they’ve chosen. That’s, frankly, not a very good way to teach the future generation or to become more capable yourself. You want people who can adapt to challenges and new ideas within the profession; not people that only know how to do something a very specific way because “that’s how they were taught”.