Why do schools STILL not want to teach "life"? (colleges, county)
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Do it at home rather than whining about schools today. If you know what’s going on in schools today and not taking it upon yourself to educate your kids in areas that the school is lacking…. you’re part of the problem and are as remiss as the schools and educators that you’re complaining about.
Do it at home rather than whining about schools today. If you know what’s going on in schools today and not taking it upon yourself to educate your kids in areas that the school is lacking…. you’re part of the problem and are as remiss as the schools and educators that you’re complaining about.
Exactly. Some parents don't care and would rather not be parents, truth be told. It might be beneficial to have a "life skills" or "adulting" class in high school as an option for kids with bad parents.
Teaching "Life" is supposed to be the parent's responsibility. Except most parents these days can't seem to figure things out for themselves. I'm sure there are exceptions but what I see on the news are mostly failures.
That's why home schooling is so logical. Wait a minute...hmmm.
Sadly many of these were once “electives” and if not enough students elect to take such courses then eventually they are dropped. I graduated high school in 1987. I’m so very glad I took shop, home ec, typing, computer science, and finance classes. While none of these classes were enough to become a carpenter, chef, tailor, software engineer, nor CPA, they did give me some basic starter skills that have helped me in one way or another in my later years. Sewing a button, hemming a pants leg, and sewing a patch came in handy in my military years. Finance taught me the most important budget idea, needs and wants. That lesson helped me to get through some very lean years. The most basic needs are food, shelter, and clothing. Take care of the needs first and eliminate the most unimportant wants to conserve money. What I learned at shop has helped me with minor home maintenance and repair. Computer software language has changed greatly from those days but it helped me to get a basic understanding of computers. The most useful of those electives was typing. So useful that I took two years of typing. In 1987 many people could not imagine having a computer in their home or work all the time. I saw them entering my dad’s oil field company and realized they were going to become more common and having typing skills would speed up the work needed to be done. Today I work in a hospital boiler room maintaining the hospital’s HVAC system. Most of what we do is on computer today and that means working at a keyboard.
I wish today’s youth would take home economics, shop, and finance. Actually, I wish these courses would be a required course for graduation. They would have to take at least one year of the course with the option to take advanced versions of the course as an elective.
Teaching "Life" is supposed to be the parent's responsibility. Except most parents these days can't seem to figure things out for themselves. I'm sure there are exceptions but what I see on the news are mostly failures.
Sadly there are too many working parents. By this I mean single parent working full time or at multiple part time jobs or dual parents both working full time or multiple part time jobs. They don’t have much time to teach their children or they don’t know what needs to be taught. I was lucky that my dad worked full time and my mom took care of us and the home. My parents came from an era in which a child had to learn and do chores in and around the home, what chores we learned depending on our maturity and knowledge. Making my bed and putting away my toys was the earliest chores I remember. Around kindergarten age I was helping with dusting furniture and sweeping the floors. By 8 or 10 years old I was pushing as gas powered push mower that didn’t have those safety auto shut off switches. When I could reach the kitchen sink I was washing dishes. Well before high school I was helping dad change the oil, oil filter, air filter, wiper blades, and checking the air pressure on the tires. As I matured, they passed on more responsibilities. I wasn’t their slave, I was their child and they were preparing me for a life on my own.
Sadly many of these were once “electives” and if not enough students elect to take such courses then eventually they are dropped. I graduated high school in 1987. I’m so very glad I took shop, home ec, typing, computer science, and finance classes. While none of these classes were enough to become a carpenter, chef, tailor, software engineer, nor CPA, they did give me some basic starter skills that have helped me in one way or another in my later years. Sewing a button, hemming a pants leg, and sewing a patch came in handy in my military years. Finance taught me the most important budget idea, needs and wants. That lesson helped me to get through some very lean years. The most basic needs are food, shelter, and clothing. Take care of the needs first and eliminate the most unimportant wants to conserve money. What I learned at shop has helped me with minor home maintenance and repair. Computer software language has changed greatly from those days but it helped me to get a basic understanding of computers. The most useful of those electives was typing. So useful that I took two years of typing. In 1987 many people could not imagine having a computer in their home or work all the time. I saw them entering my dad’s oil field company and realized they were going to become more common and having typing skills would speed up the work needed to be done. Today I work in a hospital boiler room maintaining the hospital’s HVAC system. Most of what we do is on computer today and that means working at a keyboard.
I wish today’s youth would take home economics, shop, and finance. Actually, I wish these courses would be a required course for graduation. They would have to take at least one year of the course with the option to take advanced versions of the course as an elective.
I agree with you. We used to teach those things in school. I know this will offend a lot of people, but the simple truth is those courses you mentioned are much more valuable and useful in life than "art" and "music appreciation" or diagraming sentences. Yet those are required in many schools and the things you mentioned aren't even options.
I agree with you. We used to teach those things in school. I know this will offend a lot of people, but the simple truth is those courses you mentioned are much more valuable and useful in life than "art" and "music appreciation" or diagraming sentences. Yet those are required in many schools and the things you mentioned aren't even options.
I was shocked when I found out my niece and nephew had to take some form of art elective as a requirement for graduation. In my time the arts were electives not required for graduation. Art, singing, and band were pure electives. While there is a mental benefit to those courses, the other types of courses provide more critical and problem solving skills so vital to life as an independent adult. Advance placement students should also include a highly structured debate type course that includes what I call “devil’s advocate” type debate. They must do full research on the topic or point they disagree with and participate in a debate arguing in favor of what they disagree with. The strict structure is vital since today’s “debates” is nothing more than screaming, chanting slogans, and presenting points of view without any factual reference to back up the claims. If done properly, it can really develop true critical thinking and helps them to see things from the opposing point of view.
-High schools not offering many classes on the trades, driver's ed, or ANY skills on money management
-No classes on impulse control, self-discipline, conflict resolution, etc.
-University not offering job training or white-collar apprenticeships, forcing graduates into the catch-22 involving jobs and job experience (I'm sure you know exactly what I am talking about).
Why?
Serious question.
With the passage of Senate Bill 843 last December, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania became the 25th state to guarantee a standalone personal finance course for high school students.
Many schools already had an elective in financial literacy or it was covered in another class such as Family and Consumer Science (FACS).
Most schools in PA have driver's education. It used to be offered either in the summer or as a class during the school year. Most schools that offer it, now provide it after school. All three of my children took it in school.
All of the school districts in my area either have their own Career and Technology Center (CTC) or partner with other school districts. Students go to the CTC for half a day and spend the other half at their own high school. Many schools also offer limited shop classes in both their middle and high school.
With the passage of Senate Bill 843 last December, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania became the 25th state to guarantee a standalone personal finance course for high school students.
Many schools already had an elective in financial literacy or it was covered in another class such as Family and Consumer Science (FACS).
Most schools in PA have driver's education. It used to be offered either in the summer or as a class during the school year. Most schools that offer it, now provide it after school. All three of my children took it in school.
All of the school districts in my area either have their own Career and Technology Center (CTC) or partner with other school districts. Students go to the CTC for half a day and spend the other half at their own high school. Many schools also offer limited shop classes in both their middle and high school.
Stop telling people what the actual truth is, they don't want to hear it.
Factoid for others: Home Ec, which some of you have declared is no longer offered, is now called Family and Consumer Science.
You've accidentally mistaken "public education" for "non-profit education." The profit is for the marketers of the material, who jump in bed with the administrations (a metaphor...mainly), and now your school course are chosen by the guy with the loudest lobbying department.
There's no profit in teaching "life."
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