All high school students have inevitably sat in science classes of some kind and thought or said the phrase, "Yeah, but why does it matter for me?" It could be stated that this thought process happens in classrooms of all subjects, and it would probably be true the scope of this article is only science, however, so those other examples are immaterial.

So why science? Why should we as students care how the body creates and uses ATP, or how the food web is structured, or how a cat's internal organs look and feel? Why learn so much absolutely useless information?

These questions have some surface validity, for much of what we learn in science classes particularly those classes with advanced curriculums is never used outside of the classroom. After all, not too many businessmen frequently discuss the correct order of the steps of meiosis, now do they?

Still, I firmly believe in the value of science classes in a well-rounded education for a number of reasons:

First, a good science teacher instills a wonder for science and our natural world by making classes interactive and analytical. Such skills, along with the habit of searching for the why's and how's of things, are priceless throughout life.

Secondly, science teaches a little bit about a lot. Though we admittedly may never need specific bits and pieces of what we learn, we will be able to use the general ideas and thought processes. Being well-rounded is often times more important than being specialized, particularly when one is attempting to prepare for college.

Finally, as I just mentioned, there is the very important reason of college. High school is truly only the beginning as college is the real training ground of life. As such, college degrees will undoubtedly require some form of science prerequisites, so seeing the basic material ahead of time is an excellent preparatory tool.

Although science is neither my passion nor my forte, I can easily see its value and wholeheartedly agree in its educational requirement. Maybe next time you are in a science class, you will begin to see and understand its purpose, too.

Learn more about this author, Michael Mikolajczyk.
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