Essay Sample: Humanities and STEM Are Inseparable
In the 21st century, secondary schools no longer want to focus on general education. They want to offer their students specialized courses that will prepare them for their final exam and, as a result, help them get admitted into their chosen university. While this system might help them get into their dream university, it won’t help them in their adult life.
Many believe humanities students shouldn’t be required to sit a maths exam. And vice versa, STEM students shouldn’t have to focus on languages. They deem general education unnecessary. Ultimately, every student will have to choose a job that either focuses on one of the STEM subjects or humanities. Making the students choose one definite path seems like the right way. Science students shouldn’t have to write too many essays, they also don’t need to study the history of industrialisation or become fluent in a third language. Humanities students should focus on literature instead of studying nutrition or statistics.
There isn’t any real scientific data behind the strict humanities and STEM division endorsed at many schools. Most people are born with basic maths abilities and basic humanities-related abilities. People whose brains are 100% STEM or humanities oriented do not exist. The most important part is the right education that allows children to explore and overcome their barriers. Schools often give up on students who aren’t doing well in maths classes. Instead of helping them become good at those subjects, they’re being discouraged. Schools often use the STEM and humanities dichotomy to justify doing so.
Despite the fact that no one is naturally 100% talented in one field, secondary schools in many countries seem to enforce the idea that one is either good at science and maths or creative writing and history. As soon as students enter secondary education they need to choose their definite set of higher-level subjects. Schools are slowly losing their general education approach. When one sets their mind on pursuing maths and physics, in most schools they are unlikely to receive a good education in languages or history. They will be allowed to do the bare minimum only so that they pass the final exams. That person will never have a chance to develop good writing skills because the education system has already assumed they wouldn’t need them.
In the job market, there are very few positions that are 100% STEM or humanities related. Rather, most require a mix of skills. The education system assumes a future doctor only needs to study science, completely leaving out the social and interpersonal aspects. As an effect, while those doctors might have some theoretical knowledge, they lack communication skills, creativeness, or emotional intelligence. In the case of doctors, those are crucial skills. The same problem affects other professions, like engineers. While school might teach them physics well, it will not teach them a good understanding of other people or critical thinking. Another problem affecting society is its problem with critical reading. The number of people who obtained university degrees but can’t understand a written contract is truly baffling. On the other hand, there are humanities graduates who don’t understand how statistics work. As the AHHS report proves, studying humanities significantly improves leadership skills. Western Australia’s department of education on the other hand points out that students who received a good STEM education have better inquiry skills and digital literacy. In order to be successful, one has to develop all these skills.
Advanced classes that develop students’ interests are important. However, they shouldn’t replace general education. Secondary school is time that should be spent on making students well-rounded and prepared for adult life. Teenagers don’t need hours of teaching raw knowledge. They will have plenty of time to become specialists in their chosen field at university and later in adulthood.
The humanities and STEM division favoured in many secondary schools is a huge oversimplification that shouldn’t be endorsed in the education system. What we need to focus on is raising a well-rounded society where every member has a wide range of skills, regardless of whether they’re STEM or humanities related. Each person needs knowledge from both fields to coexist, not compete.
