Opinion: On the Breakdown of Liberal Arts

By,
Alex Johnson
“Why do we have to learn all this stupid stuff?” The words have been uttered thousands of times, from thousands of students, all across our nation. Our educational system is squeezing the creativity out of students. As we close another school year, it is necessary to touch upon the issue of education as a whole. There are two ways to learn today; first, and only known to our generation, is through specialization. The idea is that memorization and technical training will eventually lead us to a topic at which we excel. Our whole lives, we have been studying from flashcards, reading and re-reading about topics that may or may not interest us. But to what end? In our history classes, many of the things we learn about will be forgotten. In English, many students use Sparknotes rather than reading the assigned novel. Is taking a shortcut truly learning? Our current education system fosters such a disconnect, allowing little room for free thought or creative thinking. World History offers a perfect example. We learn about Enlightenment thinkers such as Rousseau and Montesquieu, but do we ever read their original work? We are never taught to appreciate what these men did for our society, only to memorize their names. In Chemistry class, we learn about formulas without learning their significance. Undeveloped insightfulness only gives us the ability to regurgitate and plug in memorized formulas. This is not learning. In AP classes, the topics are delved into with more rigor, but even AP classes have certain elements of busy work. The SOL exams for classes like history do not test our ability to learn, but our ability to memorize. Furthermore, we spend too much time preparing for the SOL’s.
There is, however, another way to do things. The other type of education focuses on principle rather than fact. Effective education teaches someone how to think rather than forcing memorization. Teaching the expression of free thought and encouraging questioning are tenants of an effective education. The liberal arts focus on mathematics and logic, under the belief that one’s ability to think will improve. Math shows us that true knowledge is carried on throughout an education. Every mathematical operation we perform in math class is based on the simple laws of arithmetic. We do not forget that 1+1=2, or that A+B=B+A. In math, by building on simple rules, gradually, we can learn geometry and algebra. Learning basic skills such as math, science, the arts, history, philosophy, and literature are the hallmarks of liberal arts, where thinking is paramount.
The two sides of the education system can be summed up with a simple proverb: “Give a man a fish, and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime.” When we are given fish after fish, spending our time copying notes and forgetting them in a month or two, we are always left hungry for more. Being taught why will allow us to fish for ourselves.