Emily asked: "why are students required to take Math, Science, English, and Social Studies? Why were these subjects deemed the most worthy of learning?"
Simply put, these core subjects are a required basis for functioning in a democractic society, subjects which all citizens should have at least a basic grasp of for the benefit of themselves and the state which they select to govern them.
English gains its importance from communication ability. Without a knowledge of the language, and the analytic skills we gain from writing about literature, a democratic society cannot function. Language and argumentation are the very foundation upon which a democratic society functions -- reasoned, rational debate about issues.
Social Studies are important for a multi-cultural society (such as ours) as a key ground to understand those whom we will come into contact with, both on a daily basis and those once-in-a-lifetime meetings. It is also important to be educated on the mistakes of the past, lest we fall victim to them again in the present.
Math is a skill which benefits all people, particularly in an economic sense. In a free market economy, we must have a firm foundation of how to calculate costs and benefits, how to balance budgets, and how to do the most good for the most people -- in addition to knowing math for skills like adjusting proportions when cooking for multiple people (or for one). Math can also be useful for putting some perspective onto statistics, such as "one person killed by a shark in a nation of 300 million" being such a statistically negligible phenomenon that it's hardly worth wasting our time worrying aboutit, particularly in the face of such statistics as 30-40 million people in our nation being unable to afford health insurance. Social justice, anyone?
Science is important, not only for the growing prominence of technology in our every day lives, but in the functioning of the state. When debates such as climate change and Darwinian evolution are going on in our state houses, it is vital for the population to have at least a basic understanding of science so that we are enabled to make appropriate decisions on these issues.
This, then, brings us to the role of the arts in education (music included). What possible benefit could there be to a democratic state for encouraging art? I certainly have my own views, but I feel I am getting long-winded.
To end with a question: What are some of the potential benefits of incorporating the arts into education? What may be its draw-backs?
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