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F ³: A Reason for Living

 


The Maryland State Department of Education proposes increasing instructional time for mathematics at the Middle School level. This will necessitate decreasing instructional time for other subjects. Want to comment? Time is running out.

Revised Mathematics Policy Implementation Timeline & Secondary Mathematics Program, Comment form

Every time I see those “other” subjects reduced or eliminated in schools I want to throw things. I am not a violent person. 

Students are not geese to be force-fed with the aim of producing foie gras somewhere down the line. They are human. We are preparing them to have full human lives. 

We have to give them a reason to live. 

The more we narrow educational experiences, the less kids have to connect with and care about. What kind of a life is that?

It’s also an ineffective methodology for education. We can’t simply pour content onto children and young people. They need to have the ability to absorb it. Reducing time spent in areas like Arts Education, Science, Social Studies, and World Language will eleminate vital nutrients that enable the brain to process and connect what is learned in Math and Reading/English/Language Arts. 

Removing the catalyst to deep learning is a recipe for failure. Young people will be harmed. And, as always, affluent parents will find ways to ameliorate the loss. Those who are not affluent will endure the most loss.

I’m closing with the two videos that inspired this post today. They are short. Please watch them and see how amazingly interdisciplinary they are. It is the connections that spark the learning and give human beings the desire to learn more, immerse themselves, work harder, create something new. These are the ingredients for a meaningful life.



The other video is about artist Mark Bradford and his work, “City of Big Shoulders” for the new Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. 

In the Studio with Mark Bradford

Please watch these and think about what we want to give our children in the most crucial years for learning. Stripping away what makes life worth living is no education at all.


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  1. Julia A. McCreadyJuly 17, 2026 at 4:29 AM

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