Public Schools across the United States have left out some of the biggest subjects that should be taught before a student leaves high school. Life Skills. These skills aren’t just reading and writing and arithmetic, these skills are what every individual needs to survive in the real world regardless of whether or not they go on to college.
Back when in the 1970’s, teachers taught classes called Home Economics. Students would learn how to sew, just the basics. There was no need to become a seamstress unless they had a calling for it, but it is a valuable skill to learn. Cooking was another course. How many students graduate not knowing how to cook anything other than ramen noodles or doesn’t come from a can? Cooking classes also involved learning about nutrition and kitchen safety.
Do you pour water on a grease fire? – Absolutely Not!
Then there was shop class. Shop involved learning about power tools that dad keeps in the garage or basement of the house. Why is the safety feature necessary when using a power tool?
The big one- Budgeting
Keeping a budget would be taught in bookkeeping class. It was where students were taught how to fill out a check, a check register, and maintain the balance accurately. They would also learn why you didn’t spend more than what you actually had deposited in the account.
Many adults may have taken these classes for granted, but they just don’t teach them to our kids anymore. When they graduate, they won’t be as prepared for life on their own, not like back in the day when teachers taught skills for survival.
Learning Good Habits
Teens think they know everything. They believe that they know more than mom and dad, teachers included. But what if they develop healthy habits? Folding clothes, washing dishes, mowing the grass, chopping the wood, cleaning the house?
Aren’t these all life skills too?
Good habits can be taught at home. They come from imitating parents doing day to day survival skills. How to keep the house in order by cleaning up the dirty dishes, washing and folding the laundry and sweeping and vacuuming the floor. Cutting the grass is important too, especially in some of the southern states where poisonous snakes can be hiding in the tall grass, just like bees too.
Chopping wood is needed to stay warm in the winter. What do they do if the power goes out in an ice storm?
Hygiene
It’s not just because of the smell emitted by the body. There is more to hygiene than taking a shower and washing their hair. It should be combed or brushed when needed. The teeth need care too, or they will be wearing dentures by the time they are twenty-something. Toothpaste has come a long way since they were first discovered, and now it tastes better too. Gum disease is difficult to cure.
Saving Money
A big one – don’t spend it all at once.
Down payments are needed to buy cars and houses. Even apartments require a down payment or deposit before being rented out. A new outfit doesn’t need to be purchased every week. Learn to buy clothes that can be mixed and matched to make multiple outfits. That down payment for a first home will be saved up in a matter of a couple of years.
Credit Cards are nice to have, Buttttt…
That is how debt begins. Zero percent interest for the first six months’ does sound inviting, but after those six months, the charges start to add up. Monthly payments climb until your whole paycheck is being used to pay for a debt that was created in a matter of a month, just because of instant gratitude.
Linda Nelson 