we need [enter subject here] in our schools!

[Th37thTrump3t]

High school history should be optional, as should geography and English, music should be entirely optional for the duration of school. There should be more sport (specifically team sport, it's important to learn how to function in a team) for younger students, as well as specific science maths classes for younger students (at the very least separate biology class from physics class for juniors, it's quite common to hate one and love the other, we rarely want to waste our time with both).

Things like food tech (hell, technology subjects in general are greatly under represented in Victorian schools) should probably be given more attention, I was lucky in that the high school I went to had good facilities, however we spent very little time using them, perhaps more opportunities to use them (without forcing it upon us) would be good.

Ultimately, it's important not to force children to do things, everyone has different goals and ambitions. I remember being particularly annoyed that there was a mandatory unit on the renaissance when I was in high school (year 8 if I recall), especially because I was completely uninterested in the arts and ultimately got nothing from it, my time would've been better spent doing specialised mathematics, and given the choice that's what I'd have done.

I disagree with you on the History part. If you do not teach kids what happened in the past then it is bound to happen in the future. If you don't teach the kids about the Holocaust then the chances of it happening again have just doubled. To forget the past is to repeat it. If you find yourself with a problem and you make the wrong choice, and then are confronted with the same problem later in life, what is to stop you from making that same choice if you forgot what happened the last time. Sure some parts are uninteresting but I know people who think Math is particularly uninteresting. Hell I know a lot of people who would just love to take anything to do with numbers off the curriculum. But the point of High School is to prepare you for the future, and the future is governed mainly by what happened in the past, therefor it is essential to know what happened in the past in order to make decisions in the future.

 

[Ham_authority95]

More about different world cultures,nations, exc...

Mostly because my class did an online test about were world countries are.

The average for the class was 25% correct while the average 7 year-old in t france got 75%

Which is almost pathetic....

 

[Dys]

High school history should be optional, as should geography and English, music should be entirely optional for the duration of school. There should be more sport (specifically team sport, it's important to learn how to function in a team) for younger students, as well as specific science maths classes for younger students (at the very least separate biology class from physics class for juniors, it's quite common to hate one and love the other, we rarely want to waste our time with both).

Things like food tech (hell, technology subjects in general are greatly under represented in Victorian schools) should probably be given more attention, I was lucky in that the high school I went to had good facilities, however we spent very little time using them, perhaps more opportunities to use them (without forcing it upon us) would be good.

Ultimately, it's important not to force children to do things, everyone has different goals and ambitions. I remember being particularly annoyed that there was a mandatory unit on the renaissance when I was in high school (year 8 if I recall), especially because I was completely uninterested in the arts and ultimately got nothing from it, my time would've been better spent doing specialised mathematics, and given the choice that's what I'd have done.

I disagree with you on the History part. If you do not teach kids what happened in the past then it is bound to happen in the future. If you don't teach the kids about the Holocaust then the chances of it happening again have just doubled. To forget the past is to repeat it. If you find yourself with a problem and you make the wrong choice, and then are confronted with the same problem later in life, what is to stop you from making that same choice if you forgot what happened the last time. Sure some parts are uninteresting but I know people who think Maths is particularly uninteresting. Hell I know a lot of people who would just love to take anything to do with numbers off the curriculum. But the point of High School is to prepare you for the future, and the future is governed mainly by what happened in the past, therefore it is essential to know what happened in the past in order to make decisions in the future.

I wholeheartedly agree that a level of historic knowledge is 100% necessary, I've heard all the arguments for studying history and none of them really deal with why I dislike the school subject. In Victoria, soviet and Nazi history is covered in English, not 'history' (I know I claimed that subject was also unnecessary, and I maintain that the literary aspects of it largely are, one does not need to be able to analyse prose outside of specific, uncommon professions). The 'History' subject I was forced to study (and detest, this doesn't include primary school history which covered the colonies, gold rush, federation etc) covered the renaissance, ancient Egypt and very, very briefly world war 1 (not even really anything historically relevant, more just a general 'war is bad' subject).

Where I'm from, maths is mostly optional (after a certain point) and I wholeheartedly agree with that (though I make no effort to hide that I have a bias towards maths/science subjects, I would back ending mandatory maths subjects a year or two early).

I'm not saying we should strip history entirely from the curriculum, there should be a level of understanding modern society, and if one is to understand why society works the way it does knowledge of things like the cold war and world war 2 are the basic building blocks, I can't make it any clearer that this material should be taught in schools. The mandatory history subject I studied, however, is completely unrelated and it is that I contest. If I had my way both English and history would be axed and something more effective and relevant would replace them (with both as they are remaining as optional electives), you're more than welcome to call that substitution history if you like, history would certainly be a significant portion of the material as would basic political ideologies and basic international studies. As I've said before (it may or may not be obvious), this change is only for secondary school students, the basic history subjects that I recall from primary school were both relevant and appropriate.

 

[UnkeptBiscuit]

Darwinism for schools that currently teach Creationism.

And vice-versa. Honestly, schools should either teach all theories of how something happens, or just not teach it at all. I know most people around the world'd hate to find out that Evolution and the Atomic Theory were both inaccurate.

 

[Octorok]

I don't know about additional subjects. However, P.E. should do more for preparing kids for life. For example, it should prepare them to play ...

[HEADING=1]The Most Dangerous Game. [http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1488][/HEADING]

They teach that in my school. In fact, I get The Most Dangerous Game (and its variants) 4 days in 5, and on Thursday's it's a double period.

Don't play Grovener's Law without a really good partner though. Those Eagles can tear you apart.

 

[Dys]

Darwinism for schools that currently teach Creationism.

And vice-versa. Honestly, schools should either teach all theories of how something happens, or just not teach it at all. I know most people around the world'd hate to find out that Evolution and the Atomic Theory were both inaccurate.

Creationism in what capacity? Creationism doesn't necessarily contradict evolution, it is completely inappropriate to preach religion alongside science, a separate RE class (as is common) makes far more sense... I'm sure that if any actual evidence is found that disproves any theory commonly taught in school that theory will not be taught, or will be amended to best reflect our understanding of the natural world.

I don't really understand the whole debate on teaching creationism in science, we don't teach driving driving in English class....

 

[lucky_sharm]

We need a better system that doesn't punish students for standing up to bullies and fighting them back in our schools.

 

[enzilewulf]

How is about selective lunches.. (this is just for my school) but I swear the options are so limited)

 

[Arkzism]

how to butcher animals... i mean it something we should all know... oh and in the us, there should be a gun safety class that should be mandatory in high school

 

[BlumiereBleck]

a Avenged Sevenfold history class. That or the Theory of Gerard Way

 

[Erja_Perttu]

I'd have love to learn a wider range of things in PE. We had the facilities to learn rock climbing and archery and what did we do? Played freakin benchball.

For academical type stuffs, I wish I'd be able to learn a language other than french.

 

[SweetWarmIce]

A few ideas:

Some sort of basic or even intermediate computing class.

Astrology or Philosophy or Psychology.

The one I really want to advocate though is:

A Sex Ed class that teaches teenagers HOW to have sex. For example how to last longer, enjoyable positions, basics of oral/annal/fingering, promoting relaxation and intimacy during intercourse hell even how to bring food, massages, lotions/oils or lubes into it.

Let's face it, the only reason people feel the need to cheat/have casual sex is because they're not sastified with their partner. Think about it, if they were sexually sasitfied on demand; then they wouldn't want to risk losing them. They'd be more inclined to stay together.

I know that sounds perverted but it couldn't be worse then, "You'll get diseases if you have causal sex, this is how you put a condom on a bannana, here are some diseased penises and vaginas." Don't get me wrong that's important too...but it doesn't help by itself.

The system is too squeamish for today's standards, with this maybe teens will pay attention or even take the class seriously.

 

[Ciran]

As a subject, Circus Arts offers significant possibilities and advantages for children. Yet, currently, there is only ONE (yes, ONE) place in the whole of Britain where you can get a degree in Circus Arts. I think it should be introduced at a younger age, say, primary or secondary/high school. Not only do most children (and adults!) find circus skills a lot of fun, but it also has some significant benefits. First of all, it can help kids with hands-eye coordination, which they can use in day-to-day lives. This is particularly useful for those with dyspraxia and other coordination disabilities, who can seriously benefit from such practice like juggling. Furthermore, while juggling is incredibly difficult, it is also very rewarding - it can teach children the benefits of over coming obstacles, and can encourage them to try harder in everything they do; it teaches them to become better at other things, not only juggling. The inception of Circus Arts into mainstream education ISN'T a silly idea - along with drama and music, juggling is one of the biggest forms of performing art, yet it is also the least appreciated. Bringing it into mainstream education is only a logical step into encouraging children to explore the possibilities open to them.

I remember that my middle school taught juggling for a few weeks in P.E. It was actually a lot of fun, and I can still do it to this day, and keep it up for a pretty respectable amount of time if I do say so myself.

 

[Dragoonit]

coming from an elementary school teacher, fewer and fewer kids know how to take a problem and think through it. Too many children are handed things too easily. Sorry, didn't mean to go on a rant, but children should have to take some sort of critical thinking and problem solving classes or at least incorporate this into mainstream subjects more so then they are now.

 

[bjj hero]

we need a lack of Christianity in schools and to stop teaching evolution as a "theory," it's been proven. Christianity and all other religions should be taught as a subject, but not as fact. There, I said it.

Look, the whole "theory " part is because, as solid as the concept is, there are still wholes, namely millions of missing links. Also some unexplainable eovlutions and such.

In science a theory does not mean a guess, its as good as fact.

According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science: A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world. The theory of biological evolution is more than "just a theory." It is as factual an explanation of the universe as the atomic theory of matter or the germ theory of disease. Our understanding of gravity is still a work in progress. But the phenomenon of gravity, like evolution, is an accepted fact.

So stop getting obsessed over term theory when talking about evolution. It has a completely different meaning when used in science. Good to see the education system is working...


Back on topic, I would teach boxing and/or kick boxing as well as BJJ. There may well be less fighting when it turns out everyone knows what they are doing. It also teaches you that just because someone is small or quiet it doesn't mean they can't kick your arse.

I would at least double the amount of physical education, teach first aid, make debating mandatory, teach etiquette as well as make computer science and foreign languages mandatory.

If I'd gone to school in America I would have wrestled in school. Years ago they included boxing in British schools but bleeding heart do-gooders who think kids are made of glass put a stop to it.

 

[El Poncho]

Political studies!

This, I feel not a lot of people know about todays politics(including me) and a lot of people will be clueless when it comes to voting because of this. Cut the deficit? What the hell is that suppose to mean. Although , there is one problem. The teachers will have to be completely un-bias when teaching the class.

 

[Broady Brio]

A common sense subject.