As a teacher, it profoundly annoys me when people take on this educational philosophy of exclusive practicality. Everything we learn must be justified by "when will we use this in real life." What a dull, incurious view of life these people have.
You only need to know the science necessary for cooking, or maybe the chemicals in cleaning supplies. You will never be in amazement at the building blocks of the world. You don't need to know how stars are formed; you can't even see them where you live. You just need to know the geography of the land you live on. You will never see anything beyond your lot in life. Why learn complex mathematical equations to test your mental skills? You only need to know how to add and subtract when your boss gives you a paycheck. Why learn history - those people have nothing to do with you - you need to learn how to fill out a tax form.
And English class? Everyone knows that books aren't real life. Your boss at your job will never ask you to identify the theme, so you don't need to know how. Humans have composed literature for as long as we've been able to speak, but that's all going to end with you. You only need to know how to do your job. That's "real life."
Just learn something for the sake of knowledge and stop complaining that I'm trying to educate you.
