The Dispute Between Departments

It is clear that schools have always had a dispute over which subjects students prefer more. The predicament remains, which core class captures the most attention at Fair Grove High School?

Of course everyone has their own opinion on the topic; but at Fair Grove High School, the question was put to the test and a survey was conducted. The experiment consisted of only 120 out of the 400 students in the high school. Students were asked which core subject they preferred the most. The options were Science, Math, English, or History. 

Out of the 120 answers the results were quite close. In first place, History had 34 votes. Close behind was Science with 32. Taking third was Math with 29. And last but not least, English comes fourth with 25. Note that these results are just 30% of the high school student body. Nonetheless, some teachers wanted to have their say in the dispute. 

Michael VanCleave, a Geometry teacher representing Team Math at Fair Grove stated, “Math is absolutely, 100% the best subject in school. Math trains people to be thinkers and problem solvers, and who doesn’t need that? If you’re good at math, you have a clear path to a high paying job. You need to understand math to be able to understand most subjects, especially science. There are a few students who would say math is their favorite subject (they are super cool), but I would guess most students would not pick math as their favorite.”

In contradiction, Lindsey Dunning, representing Team Science at Fair Grove explained, “The best subject is clearly science. There are zero other possible answers. Science trains people to come up with solutions to real world problems. Everything we know about the world around us is the result of experimentation and inquiry. Every important technological advancement (like wi-fi, phones, TV, microwaves, all the good stuff) for humankind is because of some super awesome scientist somewhere.” 

Dunning went further by saying, “If you are good at science, there are loads of possible high-paying and fulfilling jobs for you to pursue. I think most students at Fair Grove would agree science is indeed superior. If they don’t, then they are clearly lying to themselves.”

To bring more to the table comes Michelle Wahlquist in support of Team English. Wahlquist commented, “Well of course everyone knows English/Communication Arts is the best subject in school. Everyone in our building uses and speaks English daily. (Even in Spanish classes, you connect the new words to one’s you already know in the English language.) Even more so, if you can’t afford the time or the money to travel, reading can take you anywhere in the world or in time through the stories and books that you read. You can’t learn in any other class without it; ALL the teachers are teaching them in what?….English!”

Regardless of what the teachers say, the dispute over which subject is superior is still a mystery. It is all about who is learning the subject and how it is taught. People process knowledge and learning at different levels but in the end only each specific individual can decide the winner of this long overdue argument.