Should high schools make life skills classes mandatory?

[Anonymous]

Years ago, life skills were more frequently taught in schools. Anything from how to balance a checkbook, to cleaning, cooking, childcare, car care, and managing a household. With more parents working longer hours, do you think high schools should now make these life skills classes mandatory?

[CuriousInquirer]

Yes.

Balancing a checkbook (or rather balance your bank account properly), childcare, cleaning, managing a household is all essential information and which an increasing number of teens don't have a clue about. Not just because their parents may work excessive hours but because an increasing number of youths are born into broken households where they're learning little to nothing of value.

In comparison things like car care may only be useful for women because mechanics are well known to try to scam a woman out of more money believing that she doesn't know anything about vehicles. On that note there is no harm for men to learn so they aren't told they need X & Y replaced in a money grab when only Y is a slight problem.

[caitycat21]

Something fucked up I’ve noticed is most of the only highschools that provide classes in trades that teach kids these skills are ones in rich neighborhoods that are well funded where as underfunded schools in poor neighborhoods are struggling with barely enough teachers, school supplies, poor infrastructure.


It’s no wonder why the wealth divides only been getting worst over the years

[slatyb]

No, they shouldn't. For many students they would be a complete waste of time. Imagine a student taking AP Calculus then attending a class where they are teaching how to double a recipe.

And who even uses a checkbook these days? I can't remember the last time I wrote a check. Car care? Many of my friends in Seattle don't own a car. I do, but I don't maintain it myself. Almost no one does. I take it to the dealer when it tells me to.

People learn what they want to learn.

[CuriousInquirer]

@slatyb "And who even uses a checkbook these days?" - is figurative. She said balance a checkbook, not write a check.

You have to balance your bank account - is the real meaning - after all to be able to write a check.

[slatyb]

@CuriousInquirer No, you don't have to "balance your bank account" unless you are in the habit of putting checks in the mail. If you are like 95 years old and write a check to a retailer, they immediately scan the check and the amount is transferred at that moment. Otherwise you can just verify the transactions and account balance daily online.

[CuriousInquirer]

@slatyb - my goodness are you slow witted? It's a figure of speech. It means it is NOT LITERAL. When someone says balance their checkbook or account it means making sure you got enough money in your account for bills, etc that are withdrawn automatically nowadays, etc. YOU IMBECILE.

[slatyb]

So by "balance a checkbook" you meant "log in to your account to verify the transactions and check the balance?" Right.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

Balancing a chequebook, household managing, and cleaning must be there for everyone. Cooking and car care are for those who eat cooked food (raw people do exist) and walk/take the bus/underground (not everyone can afford a car). Childcare seems quite common, but few actually plan to stay childless. One year of one period per day should be fine.

[provokeesmokee]

They are where I live.

It's weird to me it isn't part of classes in America. Then again, America doesn't believe in accurate history or sex ed, so it's a bit much to expect from them.

[Paul_in_Indy]

The thing is, in America families teach children life skills at home.

[CuriousInquirer]

@Paul_in_Indy So do Europeans. However life skills classes are more valuable in many ways because it follows a standard decent / respectable conduct. If someone is brought up in a broken household with poor mannered parents they're not gonna learn much of anything in value.

[exitseven]

I think life skills and survival skills. Parents hover over their kids with the purpose of keeping them safe so they do not have a concept of what can get them killed. Then when they go off to college the first thing they do is fall off a balcony.

[MysticDevice]

High School curriculum should be as follows:

Civics
Personal Finance (taxes, mortgage, intererest, etc.)
Construction
Automotive
Computer Programming
History
Cardio and strenght training
Hunter Saftey/Basic Outdoor Survival

[slatyb]

Hunter safety? That's a hobby. We might as well teach weaving or horsemanship.

Computer programming is beyond about 95% of high school students. They can't be taught to construct or even follow a simple geometric proof. Why would you imagine they can be trained to write working code? Most of the MSCS graduates I have interviewed over the years were unable.

[MysticDevice]

I say Hunter Safety because guns are an integral and prevalent facet of American society and there needs to be far more education on them than there actually is. The average person I talk to knows absolutely nothing about them and that's dangerous. Kinda like how people who don't know a lot about driving cars can cause really bad accidents.

And I say computer programming so more people will have a basic understanding of how computers work and maybe how to avoid data breeches and identity thefts.

[slatyb]

There should be far more education required for someone who wants to purchase a gun. About 20 hours of mandatory training over a couple of weekends seems about right. p

"A basic understanding of how computers work" That's a long way from programming.

[MysticDevice]

Hence why I mentioned hunter safety should be part of the curriculum. Hunter safety covers basic weapon handling and safety. (Or any other equivalent course.)
When I took my Carry course I had to demonstrate that I could handle the weapon safely and actually hit a target effectively. 90% of the course was spent just covering laws and regulations. There are a LOT of them.

It was easier to just say "computer programming" than writing a novel to explain all the details.

[slatyb]

Calling basic computer literacy "computer programming" is part of the problem. People see developers making $150K to start and imagine that we could and should be training people to do that work. Writing useful code is very like writing a geometric proof. We can teach high school students the axioms of geometry, and show them simple proofs, but most are unable to construct proofs themselves. Similarly, we can teach people the tools of programming -- languages, databases, networking, etc. but we cannot teach them how to write working code to solve a new problem.

[slatyb]

A large fraction of the people being paid to program are either completely incapable, or just not very good. My company had to create an online assessment after we found that about 75% of the people we interviewed could not code at all. These are all people with CS degrees or industry experience.

[MysticDevice]

Again, I just called it "computer programming" cause it was easier to say that instead of writing a novel full of word vomit.

[AngryCarl2]

Life skills? When will they ever be useful?

Actually life skills should be the ONLY thing taught in schools, with particular emphasis on how to manage your finances. But school isn't run for kids, it's run for the convenience and self-agrandisement of teachers.

[Summeroflove]

Well. There are a lot of mandatory credits. But honestly I think so. I think parents should also be teaching their kids how to do things. But absolutely! I agree.



I know most schools offer electives but.

[Paul_in_Indy]

I guess it’s fine to include life skills in the curriculum. It seems like a waste of classroom time, though. Life skills classes all things that you should be learning from your family at home.

[purplepoppy]

The problem is the people who would benefit the most are the type who don't like being taught what to do.

[AngryCarl2]

School is mandatory. Learning is optional.

[rachel776]

and money skills, real estate skills, people skills

[Jkgordon]

Yes because a lot of parents don’t teach their kids anything

[DaBiggestBird]

Would be a lot more useful than learning the difference between velocity and acceleration and other stuff like that that won’t help me conquer taxes or whatever

[Avicenna]

Yeah especially the personal finance component and learning to cook

[Exterminatore]

All I want to know is why do we have physical education and not classes teaching these essential skills?

[Nik1hil]

Yes!.. Yes!.. Yes!.. These should be part of High school curriculum!..

[In_Trance]

who uses a checkbook?
are they going to haver a class on how to use a rotary telephone too?
maybe how to use an 8 track player...

[OddBeMe]

Yes. What happened to home ec? And why do we take four years of algebra and no courses on the stock market?

[Surely]

Too bad common sense cannot be taught!
The 3 R’s still need to be taught first!
Then the rest of life skills.

[LunarEclipse433]

Yes!!! Bank accounts, auto maintenance, small engine repair, basic plumbing and electrical, reading contracts etc

[007kingifrit]

yea it is more valuable than anything like gender or art or music that we teach now

[KrakenAttackin]

YES! Instead of being indoctrinated kids should be educated.

[BigRed1987]

Absolutely, especially promoting nuclear family units and childcare.