The arts, such as drama, music, design technology and art itself are often thought of as less taxing subjects in terms of not having to remember set dates or formulas. These lessons are of course valuable in their own way; they nurture creativity and allow artistic potential to bloom. They also allow for the study of other people’s work; to study the life, works and techniques of genius’ and ‘artistes’. There is room to explore the inspiration behind a piece of work. There is a chance to interpret a hidden meaning; a statement, political, social, emotional that is the basis on which a piece of art is built. A piece of creative work that is open to individual interpretation can often teach a valuable life lesson more clearly and more personally than a someone stating facts. Perhaps Munch’s ‘The scream’ can more clearly articulate the true meaning of sadness, anguish and despair than the dictionary definition of those words. The fact that there is no right or wrong allows for thoughts and ideas to develop more freely than in any other lessons, which is essential in order to become more broad-minded and perceptive. Languages could perhaps be called an art form in themselves; the art of communication and self-expression. Learning a language almost always includes learning about that particular culture, country and people. Being in a foreign country and knowing the language is always helpful. Not only that, but it allows us to communicate to a wider range of people; to connect and understand people from different backgrounds, religions and races. This encourages us become more respectful and tolerant of all those around us.
To explore these cultures and the world around us in even more depth there are the humanitarian subjects, such as History and Geography (the only two that are available in school at the moment). These subjects allow us to delve into the past and learn about past civilisations or situations. For example, in History, studying different cultures, their customs of living and structures of society allows us to pinpoint their mistakes and their successes and to learn from both. Studying different social or political trends demonstrates to us which structures work and which do not. In theory a principal may work well but in reality it can have unforeseen consequences. Knowing about ancient civilisations and world wars allows us (as a society) not to make the same mistakes again. If we knew nothing about what happened in history, then we would inevitably make the same mistakes again and again. We cannot look into the future, but there is nothing to stop us from learning from the past. If we are informed about the structure of different societies, there is the chance that we can develop the ideas that have been established and discover the root of problems that have become apparent. Geography can help us to again understand different cultures and ways of life and to understand the Earth itself. It provides answers to how everyday structures work or were formed (rocks, volcanoes, hills etc.). This again answers simple ‘Why?’ or ‘How?’ questions. It also allows us to investigate economic trends and learn about relief or aid; human beings helping each other to survive and helping to cope after disasters. Or perhaps how certain trading systems benefit some and not others. Without this kind of knowledge, such valuable institutions such as ‘Fair Trade’ would not have been able to become so widespread and successful, as people would not have been aware of the problems and poverty due to unfair trading. Theses subjects allow us to be more aware of the communities in which we live and the world community in which there are people of many different races, religions, cultures, political structures and beliefs co-existing alongside one another.
However this praise of learning is not to say that there aren’t ways in which the education could be improved or that those without a formal education are less valuable members of society. Without real-life experience of the world outside a classroom, there is not much that can be done with the knowledge gained in school. Although being in school and being a part of a mini-community in which certain rules and regulations exist is valuable, work/life experience where mistakes are made and where the consequences cause greater impact is equally valuable, if not absolutely essential. What use is a doctor who can recite all the information about birth and pregnancy but cannot deliver a baby? Perhaps students do not enjoy learning and education as much as they could because of the strict curriculum that teachers must stick to and ever-present pressure of pending exams.
I would like to believe that learning the material that we do broadens our horizons and offers us more choices later on in life. Through learning a variety of these subjects we are able to learn more about the world in which we live and about ourselves. Perhaps this can lead to answers to as to why there are so many problems, be it social, economic, political or otherwise in the world. Although not every student who learns about Mozart will become a musical genius, it is not invaluable for an artist to know about the world wars, neither is it invaluable for a doctor to appreciate to appreciate the work of Dali nor a mechanic to be aware of the ideals of Communism. Given the basic fundamentals to work with, it is obviously up to us to apply these facts we have learnt to practical situations. But without these foundations that education provides us, we would be left without thousands, even millions of years of knowledge that has been accumulated over the ages. In addition to this, although at the end of the day memorising formulas or the properties of rocks may not be immediately beneficial, becoming a doctor and saving someone’s life or building a self-sustainable community in a developing country is extremely valuable. It is the continual and gradual build up of this knowledge that is valuable. Small disjointed pieces of information may be unhelpful, but it is the accumulation of these facts that matter. Ultimately I think that education, hopefully, helps us to be a little less ignorant and a little more aware about the world in which we live and about ourselves.