12 School Lessons Oklahomans Never Use Post-Graduation

Remember sitting in class, staring at the chalkboard, and wondering, “When will I ever use this in real life?”

You’re not alone.

Many Oklahomans have pondered the practicality of certain lessons taught in school. Here’s a lighthearted journey through some of these topics that, for many of us, have proven to be less than essential in everyday life.​

The Dewey Decimal System

Once essential for navigating libraries, the Dewey Decimal System has seen a decline in use with the rise of digital catalogs.

Now, searching for a book is as simple as typing a title into one’s library app or computer, rendering this classification system less critical for the average library-goer.

Even librarians rely on digital systems rather than manually searching through cards. While it’s interesting to know how books were once organized, learning the Dewey Decimal System isn’t a skill that most Americans retain or need in their daily lives.

Searching for a book is now more about knowing the title or author rather than memorizing a number system.

Cursive Handwriting

Once upon a time, cursive writing was a cornerstone of elementary education. Students spent hours perfecting the elegant loops and swirls of cursive letters.

The idea was that cursive would be the primary mode of handwriting. However, in today’s digital age, typing has largely replaced handwritten communication.

While some argue that learning cursive aids in motor skills development and historical document reading, its everyday application has dwindled.

As a result, some schools have even removed cursive from their curricula, focusing instead on typing skills more relevant to modern communication.​

Reciting “I Before E Except After C”

This spelling rule was drilled into many of us. But English is filled with exceptions that make the rule less reliable.

Words like “weird” and “science” break the pattern, leading to more confusion than clarity. The rule works sometimes, but the sheer number of exceptions makes it less than useful.

Many educators have moved away from emphasizing this rule because it’s inconsistent.

Instead of relying on tricky rhymes, students benefit more from learning word origins and common spelling patterns. Or, let’s face it—they can simply rely on a spell-checker program like Grammarly.

The Pythagorean Theorem

“In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.” This is the Pythagorean Theorem, a fundamental principle in geometry.

While this knowledge is crucial for professions like architecture and engineering, the average American seldom finds a need to calculate the length of a triangle’s side in daily life.​

Most Americans navigate their day without ever applying this mathematical concept.

Unless you’re building something that requires precise measurements, the Pythagorean Theorem remains a distant memory from math class, rarely surfacing in everyday tasks.​

Memorizing State Capitals

At some point, many American students were tasked with memorizing all 50 state capitals. While this exercise might boost memorization skills, knowing that Montpelier is the capital of Vermont doesn’t typically influence daily decision-making.

For most, this knowledge doesn’t impact their personal or professional lives.​

In an era where information is readily accessible via smartphones, the necessity of committing such facts to memory has diminished.

While it might come in handy during a trivia night, for most people, knowing state capitals doesn’t play a significant role in their everyday activities.​

The Periodic Table of Elements

Chemistry classes often require students to memorize elements from the periodic table, along with their symbols and atomic numbers.

We’re not about to argue the importance of understanding basic chemical principles. But recalling that the symbol for tungsten is ‘W’ isn’t typically useful for those who don’t work in scientific fields.​

For the average individual, detailed knowledge of the periodic table doesn’t influence daily tasks.

Unless you’re pursuing a career in chemistry or a related field, this information remains an academic exercise with little practical application in everyday life.​

Long Division by Hand

Before calculators became ubiquitous, long division was a necessary skill. Today, even the most basic phones have a calculator function, making manual long division more of a mental exercise than a practical tool.

The process of lining up digits, subtracting, and bringing down the next number is something that many Americans haven’t done by hand since their last math test.

While understanding division is important, few careers or daily tasks require performing long division without a calculator. Even in professions that use a lot of math, such as engineering or finance, specialized software handles these calculations.

The skill is useful for learning mathematical concepts, but in practice, it’s mostly obsolete.

Learning to Play the Recorder

Many former students have memories of squeaky recorder sessions in music class. The recorder was often introduced as an accessible instrument to teach basic musical concepts.

However, few continue to play the recorder beyond grade school, and its presence in mainstream music is minimal.​

While learning an instrument can enhance cognitive development and appreciation for music, the recorder itself doesn’t hold much relevance outside the classroom.

Most students move on to other instruments or interests, leaving the recorder as a nostalgic memory rather than a practical skill.​

Diagramming Sentences

English classes once emphasized diagramming sentences to understand grammatical structures. Students would break down sentences into their components, mapping out subjects, predicates, and modifiers.

While this exercise can deepen understanding of language mechanics, it’s not a skill commonly used outside academic settings.​

In everyday writing and communication, people focus more on clarity and coherence rather than the ability to diagram sentences.

The skill, while intellectually stimulating, doesn’t translate into a practical tool for most people in their personal or professional lives.​

Roman Numerals

Learning to read and write Roman numerals is a common part of the American curriculum. While it’s interesting to understand this ancient numbering system, its application today is limited.

Outside of reading clock faces, book chapters, or movie sequels, Roman numerals don’t play a significant role in daily life.​

Most numerical information today is presented in Arabic numerals, making the need to interpret Roman numerals rare.

While it’s a nice nod to history, for most people, this knowledge doesn’t impact their everyday activities.​

The Water Cycle Diagram

Students often learn about the water cycle, memorizing terms like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Understanding this cycle is fundamental to grasping how Earth’s ecosystems function.

However, the detailed diagram of the water cycle doesn’t typically resurface in daily decision-making.​

While it’s important to have a basic understanding of natural processes, most adults don’t reference the water cycle diagram in their everyday lives.

The specifics of this cycle remain in the realm of academic knowledge rather than practical application for the average person.​

Balancing Chemical Equations

Chemistry classes often involve balancing chemical equations to understand reactions. While this skill is crucial for chemists, the average person doesn’t need to balance equations.