Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!uwvax!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!dykimber
From: dykimber@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Daniel Yaron Kimberg)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Student preparedness
Message-ID: <4951@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 18 Dec 88 23:53:30 GMT
References: <4893@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <6435@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> <1988Dec16.153701.8316@cs.rochester.edu> <499@mccc.UUCP>
Reply-To: dykimber@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Daniel Yaron Kimberg)
Organization: Princeton University, NJ
Lines: 22

In article <499@mccc.UUCP> pjh@mccc.UUCP (Pete Holsberg) writes:
>The problem with letting students decide what they should study is that
>there are those who are not open-minded enough to explore areas that are
>suggested to them.  My students say, "I like electronics.  Why do I have
>to take English or a Humanities elective?"  I haven't found an answer
>that satisfies them because they already aren't interested.

But why not give them a core curriculum supplemented heavily with electives?
If this starts at seventh grade, then students will be able to get exposure to
many different areas, and still concentrate on the ones that interest them.
I think that by the time someone reaches college, they should be able to
make most if not all of these decisions themselves.  And if by that point,
someone still doesn't want to take humanities, then there's no reason they
should have to take more than a bare minimum.  Your students have either had
bad experiences with humanities in the past or are genuinely not interested.
It's no use forcing them, because they're already mostly past the point where
under normal circumstances they might change their minds.  You could also
(in principle) follow them around after they've left school, trying to force
them to read great literature, but you're past the point of diminishing
returns.

                                                  -Dan