Comments on: Life, Skills

By: Curt

Curt — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I always thought it’d make sense to teach High School aged kids how to do their taxes.

Similarly, how about a finances class that perhaps gives students some insight as to what they’ll be up against in their future.

By: Therapeutic Ramblings

Therapeutic Ramblings — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:05:29 +0000

I think schools need to teach kids how to LEARN, and not just facts and figures for a test.

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:35:25 +0000

Many of the things you talk about are things that should be taught at home…but, unfortunately, are not. Too many parents are putting the burden of not only teaching their children everything, but raising their children as well, on teachers…and then complain about how it’s done (i.e. discipline when necessary).

Too much importance is wasted on academics when students need to be learning real life skills…how to budget, file your taxes, cook a simple meal, sew a button, change a tire, put a bookcase together, administer CPR, take blood pressure, problem solve, etc…

And no, I’m not saying academics isn’t important…but they aren’t everything and I’ve yet to be asked about Shakespeare or the Pythagorean Theorem on a job interview. Nor have I seen anyone with a job in “English” or “Math”…yes, those are majors but they are I’m-a-career-student major.

I’ll get off my soap box now.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:31:07 +0000

I learned how to balance a budget, balance a checkbook, cook, (skipped the sewing section), parent, etc. in high school. Problem is, I was a teenager and thought those large-pored smelly old teachers didn’t know what the hell MY life was going to be like so I paid attention long enough to get As, then forgot everything. So, what I really wish I had learned was TO REALLY, TRULY LISTEN TO AND LEARN FROM MY WISE PARENTS AND TEACHERS! Imagine, those grown-ups actually knew how to run their lives, offered to share their wisdom, and I ignored them! What an idiot! Did I think I would have “staff” or magic elves? Hah! Enough. I need a nap. I hear the gardening elves only work when we nap in hammocks.

By: Princess Pointful

Princess Pointful — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:30:09 +0000

I so agree on this one– I’ve ranted about the silly things we learned in Career and Personal Planning. Yeah, the resume part was good. But would I could have used is… how to apply to college, find an apartment, apply for a loan, file my taxes, look for a job, manage a monthly budget, etc.

By: Maris

Maris — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:16:39 +0000

LOL Paula, that was how I felt about making pancakes. How about teaching us something that we might NOT have learned by the time we were seven?

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:36:32 +0000

I always found home economics a bit rubbish. Do you know the first thing we learned to make in the “cooking” segment of the class? Corned beef sandwiches!!! Seriously!!!

Apart from the ever practical “art of flirting 101″ class, which certainly would have came in handy if it had existed . .. the thing I was gutted to have just missed out on was Classics ie. Latin and Greek Mythology. I missed out on it by a year and it may not have taught me anything i could have used in later life, but that’s the only thing i REALLY wanted to know about!!!

By: Angela

Angela — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:33:53 +0000

I wish my high school had Auto Shop and that girls were required to take it.

1) So I could have stared at all the hot guys in the class

and 2) So I could know what the eff is wrong with my car sometimes.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:53:33 +0000

True story:

In my high school home ec class they had us make pillows. I decided instead, to hollow out my pen and stuff needles into it and use it as a blow dart. I accidentally got a pin stuck in between my friends nose and eyeball. He got pissed at me and cut me with scissors he was holding.

We both got suspended for one week, but we remained friends until college.

By: Daryl

Daryl — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:33:34 +0000

This is a really great post. the practical aspects of life