Commentary: The hidden values of STEM classes

Language classes are easy, mostly. Probably because we speak language.

Math and science classes are hard. Probably because we don’t “equate,” or whatever the word would be if we spoke in equations.

Not something we indulge in much when, say, telling somebody about the new “Star Wars” movie, or chatting while strolling along the beach.

And then there’s fashion. STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) call for an intense amount of study and concentration, certainly to do them well. Consequently, the kind of people who get attracted to STEM classes are often shy and don’t mind staying by themselves hour after hour and pouring over, say, geometry.

As many wise people have pointed out (or could have), people can’t sashay up and down Rodeo Drive, shopping, dining and joking, and study geometry at the same time.

So, people who study STEM classes don’t have quite the same chic air as people who study, say, “Gone with the Wind,” or “Hamlet,” or the philosophy of “Seinfeld.”

Consequently, cool, fashionable, sociable people tend to shy away from STEM studies.

Which is a shame. And probably financially disastrous, eventually.

Because money flows to technological sophistication. (Think Apple, Microsoft, Google and Hoag Hospital).

But the other cost is much larger and unconscious. STEM classes could be seen as training in clear thinking! That’s why they are so hard. They force people out of their comfort zone of impressions and opinions.

In math, if somebody doesn’t get the problem right, that somebody doesn’t get the answer. In science, if somebody doesn’t understand exactly how a machine works, it won’t work.

But people willing to master STEM materials will discover a splendid treasure: their minds work really well!

And that can translate into, well, treasure.

Dr. STEVE DAVIDSON is a clinical psychologist in Newport Beach.