The Lack of Life Skills in the Classroom
I don’t know about you, but I ask myself at school, “How does this apply to daily life?” or “How will this help me later in life?” For example, when completing page-long math problems, I begin to question the importance of the material outside the classo. Furthermore, the teachers force students to complete the problems in a specific manner, so students, overtime, deavelop a narrow thought process and have a more difficult time thinking creatively. Therefore, one math problem is only minimal evidence of the need to alter the education system and to include more applicable life skills taught in the classroom.
Life skills include those that assist you in leadership, communicating with others, handling finances, and so on and so forth. In today’s high school environment, there prevails a lack of schoolwide instruction regarding these skills. For example, I bet the majority of students do not possess the knowledge to write a check, prepare a budget, or project how future expenditures may affect personal spending. Schools may argue that these skills may not provide assistance to teenagers, but teaching this information can expose teenage students to responsibilities that will appear in their future, better preparing them for upcoming tasks. Not to mention, teaching resume building is a key step in the process of finding a job, and encouraging students to get involved in obtaining a job and managing personal finances will make them more independent and well-rounded individuals.
Next, exposing these skills to students at a younger age will make the transition from high school to the adult world a more gradual and smooth process. Students come to high school for multiple hours on a daily basis, a time when they learn material such as algebraic expressions, chemistry formulas, historical occurrences and much more that expands their knowings of the world. Simultaneously, schools can find time in their curriculums to implement classes that preach social and mental skills to prepare them for the adult world. Therefore, they not only relate to other students on campus based upon the facts and figures they inherit in basic classes, but they will also better relate to the countless adults in their community, broadening their social network.