Why should science be a necessary curriculum in schools?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ 2007 July 9 10:27 AM) [snapback]475588[/snapback]</div>

Well, we certainly don't need more scientists giving us bad news, so why would we need schools for them? Those eggheads are all hatched anyway. We don't really need to know what happens outside our little bubbles - we have people to deal with that for us. It's all written down somewhere anyway, isn't it? I'll read it later. My show's on.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Jul 9 2007, 02:20 PM) [snapback]475630[/snapback]</div>

Got to disagree with you on that one. Several studies have shown that kids who study foreign languages become more open to learning in general. “Learning languages helps increase listening ability, memory, child’s creativity and critical thinking- all of which are thinking processes that increase learning in general,†says Redmond, former president of the National Network for Early Language Learning.

Learning another language also improves the student's understanding of his native language. If you can't speak English correctly it's awfully hard to learn another language.

 

why should science be mandatory? because it's cool, first of all. Science class was always my favorite class until I got out of high school. I'd rather take science than math any day! Where else can you look at bugs up close and make small things blow up in the classroom? Only the dumb jocks didn't get it, but even they had fun doing it.

 

The greatest statesmen, thinkers, scientists, and writers of the world were, for the most part, given a classical education, which included languages, mathematics, scientific studies, logic and rhetoric, and penmanship.

Those were the days...