When schools focus on only teaching the most rigorous and abstract definition of math, at the cost of teaching students how to apply math to real-world problems

When schools focus on only teaching the most rigorous and abstract definition of math, at the cost of teaching students how to apply math to real-world problems, the result is a lot of students who can do neither. Likewise, when schools focus only on teaching literature by the most artistic definition, at the cost of teaching them basic day-to-day reading and writing skills, the result is a lot of students who can do neither. Let's treat rigorous math and lofty literature like the specialized skills that they are, and offer them to students who show particular interest in those areas. For the bulk of students, let's teach them skills that will be useful and relevant.