Earlier quoted context omitted.
Personally I can’t say I learned anything professionally useful in english or civics. An actually decent math class in just one of my years of k-12 would have been much more useful.
It's weird to say that about English when good communication is essential for success in any engineering field. Even if all English does is force you to read more, it's probably a win in this regard.
Some of what's taught in English classes is about clear communication, and some of it isn't.
I think learning the 5 paragraph essay structure was very useful. But that's maybe 3 months worth of learning. The rest was English major stuff. Which is fine, but please don't pretend that it has a lot to do with "good communication".
> Even if all English does is force you to read more, it's probably a win in this regard.
It's not enough to say people had to read for English classes. You have to compare it to the counterfactual. In that regard, I don't think it stood up well.
1. I was already reading a lot. I just read different things.
2. I came to hate pretty much everything I read in class. It's only decades later that I've been able to appreciate some of the classics that we read.
On this point, I think English class was a net harm, at least for me. Of course, everyone has different circumstances; I'm sure there are people for whom a similar program as what I went through would have been a benefit.