Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), it
made me cringe when I was trying to teach History to kids who “didn’t need to
know this.”
Think about that for a second -- without assuming I’m
whining about it. By super-emphasizing those four disciplines and “English”
(Literature not so much), the Social Studies (SS) requirements are treated as
mere formalities that can be satisfied by “Wikipedia C’s” (not in my classroom)
on their report cards, and passing the SS sections of the standardized tests,
which are practical gimmies because they’re little more than reading tests any
reasonably intelligent eighth-grader can pass before breakfast.
My question is this: Do we want Scientists who only know
Science, or do we want Scientists who have enhanced critical thinking skills
and an educated perspective of the world we want them to change?
I’m not saying the Social Studies should be made King of
Curricula, but excluding it from the royal family is a mistake.
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