WHY ?

Just the other day at work, I was conversing with my manager Jon about math and history class. Every year in the beginning of math class I ask myself the same question. How am I going to use any of this in my future? Why do I need it in order to succeed? Jon then went on to say that its more important that students at that age learn to balance a checkbook, and figure how to manage taxes rather then about our country's past ( like who discovered each country and how they came to be). I don't totally agree with that, but I think in highschool we should be teaching kids more about whats really expected of them in the real world, and to be aware of the wars happening around us currently.