Re:Learning to Code vs Learning Computer Science
by p4bl0 on Sunday February 09, 2014 @10:05AM
(#7205728)
> If you believe that the only role of schools is to teach useful skills, then you are correct.
I believe the role of schools, especially before and during high school (it's another matter for college/uni) is rather to teach basic skills (read, write, count, know a bit how the world works and how to think) and to teach how to learn, and also what exists that could interest you.
Teaching only useful skills is very simplistic and even seems to me like a bad idea, and I think you demonstrate why in the rest of your post.
But I believe that the role of an educator is more than that. School should teach our kids to see the world for its beauty and to understand how it works. Practicality of subject material should not be a factor in what we teach our kids.
There's a reason why we should teach Shakespeare, proofs in math, music history, kickball and beauty in algorithms.
Teaching our kids useful skills is important, but as a Teacher, I believe it's more important to instill in them the eyes and tools to see and appreciate the world around them.