Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Spanish I- Even though I cannot speak the language, I learned that we must learn to communicate with people who are not like us. At an early age, I did not understand fully what that meant. But today, we have this global economy and the world is so small. It makes sense.
In high school, a tie between Comparative Literature (English v American) during my senior year and Human Geography + Economics combo (1 each semester, same teacher) during my junior year.
In college, a tie between Native-American Literature for sophomore year humanities and African-American Literature for part of my senior seminar. It's mind-boggling how much of American history is left out of the history books. These courses weren't history courses obviously, but they might as well have been. Academia loves to separate history into neat little categories, but the fact is that African-American history is American history, as is Native-American history. These courses, by studying the literature of the time and of the people, helped me to see and understand that fully.
My runner-ups would probably be French (both in high school and college), Comparative Politics + International Relations, and Digital Media/Design.
I love the variety in answers here. It's interesting to compare the idea of value from person to person. I will always place higher value on the classes I've taken or books I've read that challenge me to think critically and to challenge my worldview. Communication + research skills and learning to see the world from a different perspective than the one of the conservative, small-town bubble I was raised in are skills that I've taken with me and use daily. Calculus and chemistry were great classes and valuable in their own right as well, but it isn't the information that's with me today.
I also love that so many value typing education so highly. I don't share this experience, because I'm a true millennial who learned to touch-type at warp speed to communicate with friends via AOL Instant Messenger. I remember having typing units in my high-school computer classes, but there were several of us who breezed right through it, with early social-media to thank.
Marching Band/Band in general: I learned how to learn, how to teach and guide others, and how to be a positive leader. It taught me how to work with a large group, but also how MY individual actions could impact the group (personal responsibility). I learned a lot about time management and how valuable time really was. I was told to "begin with the end in mind" and learned how to keep my focus and have self discipline. I found a passion that forced me out of my comfort zone and in result I gained confidence, made lifelong friends, and great memories.
We didn't have typing, but we did have a computer class in jr.high. It was super easy though and basically a study hall. Computers weren't some crazy new thing, most all of us knew how to type and navigate a computer. We didn't have many options for classes, pretty basic.
Statistics. I only took a beginning level class and turned my assignments in late every week (it was a rough semester), but this was by far the most practical class I ever took. Don't ask me about all the technical stuff. I can't remember the mathematical concepts. I'm positive I never would have paid attention to statistics or known how to interpret them if it wasn't for this class. It's crazy because the only thing I really remember about the class is the TA always had her son with her. But I was obviously retaining the knowledge on a subconscious level based on how useful I've found it throughout life.
I know this is about public school, but for me it was first year college, and it wasn't a class so much as a professor who worked hard to make me finally realize my potential.
But as far as public school...same concept. It wasn't classes that made a difference. It was inspirational teachers.
"Adult Living". Yes, I had an elective in high school called Adult Living. My high school was trying this class out for the first time so I decided to take it. Basically we went over how to balance a check book, what a credit card was, interest, etc. I really enjoyed the class and it got me interested in personal finance. A class like this should really be mandatory for all high school students today.
I hope my high school still offers it.
Shop class was pretty fun as well. We took apart an entire lawn mower engine and put it back together.
"Adult Living". Yes, I had an elective in high school called Adult Living. My high school was trying this class out for the first time so I decided to take it. Basically we went over how to balance a check book, what a credit card was, interest, etc. I really enjoyed the class and it got me interested in personal finance. A class like this should really be mandatory for all high school students today.
I hope my high school still offers it.
Shop class was pretty fun as well. We took apart an entire lawn mower engine and put it back together.
Ugh, mandatory. If anything this thread shows us how much what is valuable varies from person to person. Why do you think a class that was useful to you should be mandatory for everyone? I learned that stuff from my parents at an early age, it would have been a completely waste of my time. Make it an elective and then those who need it can take it and those who don't can take a class they will actually benefit from.
My first job as a computer programmer when I was 23 was at a machine shop and I had to write programs in Fortran, where the user would enter the coordinates, width, length (or diameter) and depth of a pocket to be milled in a plate of steel, plus the taper of the pocket walls. My program had to draw a picture of what it would look like. Knowing trig made it easy!
Ugh, mandatory. If anything this thread shows us how much what is valuable varies from person to person. Why do you think a class that was useful to you should be mandatory for everyone? I learned that stuff from my parents at an early age, it would have been a completely waste of my time. Make it an elective and then those who need it can take it and those who don't can take a class they will actually benefit from.
I had the same reaction when I read the thread. I wondered if he had grown up in an orphanage.
Humanities. Had a great teacher who encouraged to write about what I love. Which is Blues music.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But I was obviously retaining the knowledge on a subconscious level based on how useful I've found it throughout life.
