17 Things We Learnt in School That Left Us Asking, ‘Why Did We Learn This?’
Looking back on our school days, many of us remember lessons that seemed bafflingly irrelevant. Why did we spend hours learning things that have no impact on daily life?
From complex math formulas to obscure historical facts, many topics left us scratching our heads. While education is essential, it’s fair to wonder if our time could have been spent on more practical skills.
Here’s a list of 17 things we were taught in school that, for most people, have turned out to be entirely useless.
The Pythagorean Theorem
Unless you’re an engineer or architect, you likely don’t use this theorem in daily life. It remains a confusing memory from math class for most.
Memorizing State Capitals
Knowing the capital of every state was once a staple in geography class, but GPS and smartphones make this information unnecessary.
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The Krebs Cycle
A biology classic, the Krebs cycle is a complicated process most people don’t need to know in depth unless they’re pursuing a career in science.
Cursive Writing
While cursive may look elegant, it’s rarely used in the digital age, and many schools have phased it out entirely.
Calculating Complex Fractions
Long division, adding fractions—while valuable in specific fields, most of us haven’t needed to calculate complex fractions since school.
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The History of Ancient Mesopotamia
While knowing a bit about human history is important, the specifics of Mesopotamian culture have little relevance for most people’s daily lives.
Diagramming Sentences
Sentence diagramming can be useful for learning grammar, but for most people, it’s an overly complex method they’ve long forgotten.
The Periodic Table
Unless you’re working in science, memorizing elements and their symbols doesn’t come in handy and is quickly forgotten.
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How to Use a Protractor
This geometric tool was a staple in math class, yet it’s hardly something most of us reach for in adult life.
Finding X in Algebra
For anyone not pursuing math-intensive careers, finding X has been a distant memory since the final algebra test.
Reciting the Gettysburg Address
Learning historical speeches is important for context, but memorizing them word for word is hardly necessary for most people.
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Counting in Roman Numerals
Other than on clocks and movies, Roman numerals aren’t practical in modern life and take up mental space for little benefit.
Facts About Obscure U.S. Presidents
We learned about presidents with little modern influence or relevance, but only a handful are regularly mentioned in most adult lives.
Home Economics
Though useful in concept, home ec classes often focused on outdated or irrelevant skills rather than essential life skills.
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How to Write a Haiku
Poetry is valuable, but haiku writing has little relevance outside literature class, leaving most people asking, “Why did we learn this?”
The Water Cycle
While the water cycle itself is fascinating, knowing it in detail is unnecessary for most of us outside science fields.
Binary Code
While technology continues to grow, the binary code itself is rarely useful unless you’re a computer scientist or programmer.
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