11 New "Subjects" More Important Than Technology

My daughter's school recently undertook an extensive parent survey. We were asked to rank various aspects of the curricula on a 1-10 scale, both in terms of how well they are doing in teaching as well as our opinions of the relative importance of subjects like English, Music, World Languages, Math, Drama, Science, PE, History and so on. I was sort of surprised when I came to Technology. It didn't seem to fit on the list. I guess I knew my daughter was taking "technology" classes, but I'd never heard anything about them. When I ask her what they learned, she informed me that they practiced using various software programs.

I gave Technology a very low ranking in terms of importance. 

Every high school has a technology curriculum. In fact, I doubt there are many middle or elementary schools without one, and there are even (my lord) preschools out there boasting of their technology. It kind of sounds good, I suppose, technology, but from what I can tell, very few are actually learning "technology," which is defined by Wikipedia as:

. . . the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solution to a problem, achieve a goal or perform a specific function . . . Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species' ability to control and adapt to their natural environments.

Now that sounds cool and important as a course of study, but we all know that when it comes to our schools, Technology is essentially a euphemism for learning to use a computer. Not programming, mind you, but simply learning to manipulate Excel spreadsheets or put together Power Point presentations. Again, not horrible things, but really? This is what we're using our valuable classroom time on? Of course computers are here to stay and seem destined to become an increasingly central part of our lives, but you know what? The kids are already waaaay ahead of you and me, including most of their technology teachers, and they got there not through "technology classes," but through the tried and true methods of play: tinkering around, answering their own questions, employing the scientific method. Yes, computers are here to stay, just the way other tools are, like automobiles, telephones, refrigerators, and screwdrivers, but no one would think of dedicating 13 years of schooling to train kids on how to use any of them.

I don't buy the argument that kids must be "exposed" to computers in school because otherwise they'll fall behind. The only kids at risk for this are the ones who are so poor their families don't have these tools in their homes, and frankly, they have more serious problems than not knowing how to Skype. Now if you're saying that technology should be "integrated" into the rest of the curriculum, I'm with you, although I see no reason to force it. We all already use our computers, naturally, the way we use any tool, when it's the best way to go, such as for writing and researching, calculating, communicating, or shopping. You know, the way humans always integrate useful technology into our learning, like crayons, rulers, paint brushes, or blocks. We don't need special training, just access and the space-time to explore.

And I'd be all in favor of a Technology curriculum that was the kind of broad investigation of technology suggested by the Wikipedia definition, one that gave children hands-on practice using a wide variety of developmentally appropriate tools, machines and systems to solve problems, but no one needs 13 years of computer training. 

My wife and I were talking about this over dinner the other night and got into making a list of candidate "subjects" we felt would be more important than Technology (as it's now taught) and should be included alongside English, Music, and Science as new categories in the canon of our standard 13 years of schooling. Here's what we came up with, in no particular order:

Salesmanship: So, you really want your kid to be "successful" in life? Being able to make a sale is probably the single greatest guarantee that a person will thrive no matter what their chosen path, be it business, arts, public service, or stay-at-home mom. And think what it would do for our critical thinking and decision-making skills if we were all well-versed in the art of the deal: it would make it a hell of a lot harder to pull the wool over our eyes. (For the sake of "selling" this idea, of course, we'd probably want to call it something traditional like Debate or Rhetoric, subjects that already exist in many schools, but which are rarely offered as part of the core curriculum.) 

Conflict Resolution: How transformative would that be: a world full of people with 13 years of conflict resolution training under their belts? Now that's a technology worthy of intensive, sustained pursuit and practice.

Personal Finance: Do I even need to explain why this is far more vital than the ability to "work" a computer? 

Public Speaking: I've seen surveys that show that a huge percentage of people fear public speaking more than death. I suppose this kind of falls under the salesmanship category and should probably simply be integrated into everything we do, but the ability to get up in front of our fellow humans and be informative, motivating, entertaining, and/or persuasive is a competency I wish for everyone. And it truly is one that takes a lifetime to master.

Political Activism: Our democracy simply would not be as imperiled as it is today if we all were well-versed in the technology of self governance. So many of us, particularly young people, feel disenfranchised, making the assertion that "my vote doesn't count," not understanding that voting is an important, but ultimately very small part of what makes democracy work.

Community Organizing:  I often think that's all my life is: helping to organize people to achieve goals none of us can accomplish on our own.

Entrepreneurship/Business Management:  Okay "Tiger Moms," do you really want to raise a kid who will go out there an kick butt in the real world?  How about insisting that he actually learn, through experience, what it takes to run his own business? That's where almost all the billionaires come from. And even if you don't hope your kid is the next Bill Gates (and I hope you don't), just think of how much richer her life will be knowing what it takes to get a venture off the ground, for-profit or nonprofit, how to grow it, sustain it, and manage both the resources and people required to make it thrive. Not to mention learning the value of a buck.

Driver Training and Automobile Maintenance: If there has to be one specific tool for which we could use 13 years of training, it's our cars.

Home Maintenance: And speaking of maintenance, think of the money, time, and aggravation everyone would save, not to mention the sense of responsibility and sheer personal satisfaction to be gained in a world of life-long do-it-yourselfers.

Media Critique and Analysis: We are inundated by the media. It comes at us from all sides, pretty much 24-hours a day. We can protect our littlest children from it to a certain extent, but by the time they're ready for Kindergarten, they are at the mercy of the world. I would love to see a generation of children who are able critique and analyze media messages for themselves, understand who is creating these messages, and what they are trying to get us to do. 

Gardening: This one makes our list because we just really, really like the idea of there being as many gardens out there as computers. What a better place the world would be.

What would make your list?

UPDATE: Reader Carol over in the comments on Facebook, suggested Cooking. Yes, absolutely, and to that I might add, the whole Home Economics curricula from the 1950's and 60's.

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