The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Ask anyone- that's what sticks with you from high school. Yeah, learning science and math and English, that's all extremely important. It's all a part of getting a well-rounded education. However, there are a lot of things that school just doesn't teach students... and it really should. There's a reason that so many college students and other recent high school graduates have such a hard time handling all the stress of living in "the real world." It's because we aren't really taught too much about it in school, other that it's really hard and that we have it easy in school.
Well maybe, instead of frightening us of the real world, we should just be taught how to live in it. Yeah, learning the Pythagorean Theory is somehow important to our education, but here are 12 things schools definitely need to start teaching students before they graduate.
1. How to change a flat tire, and other common maintenance issues
When it rains, it pours, and we should all be taught how to fix common problems in both our car and house. Otherwise, we'll end up stranded on the side of the highway with no help in site.
2. How to vote, and just more about the government in general
https://www.tenor.co/view/barackobama-obama-barack...
There are way too many people old enough to vote, who have no idea what a third party is, let alone the electoral college. Most high school students only ever have one class that involves government, but that's not nearly enough.
3. An entire class devoted to how to get a job
https://www.tenor.co/view/charlie-job-sunny-gif-50...
Most students need a job before they even leave high school, so these aren't skills that can wait. Some classes teach how to write resumes, but a lot of students don't even learn that, which is just the beginning of how to get a job. Students need to learn interview skills, social media literacy and much more to be great job candidates.
4. How to handle stress, and care for our mental health
https://www.tenor.co/view/reginageorge-meangirls-s...
High school teaches students that school work is more important than mental health, and it never really ends. If more students were taught how to cope with stress and learn better time management, mental health issues might not be such a large epidemic.
5. How insurance works, because that's kind of important
I don't think I have to explain this one.
6. Oh, and also loans
https://www.tenor.co/view/money-crying-woodyharrel...
So, so many loans. Which do we have to repay right away, and which do we repay after college? Not the easiest thing to understand.
7. How to rely on, work with and help others
https://www.tenor.co/view/teamwork-himym-ted-robin...
Whether you go to college or the workforce after high school, working well with others on projects and group work is necessary for basically every aspect of life.
8. How to communicate effectively
https://www.tenor.co/view/parksandrec-talk-talking...
School is a lot about homework and a lot less about actually participating- in most class situations. It's appalling to me how many college students I am in classes with don't know how to write an appropriate email to the professor, let alone give a decent presentation. Getting a job in the real world is all about communication, so it really needs more focus in schools.
9. How to learn and think independently
https://www.tenor.co/view/figureout-think-thinking...
This might sound strange after I just said we need to be communicating more, but we also have to learn from an earlier age that we need to be able to do things for ourselves. No one is going to be making sure you stay on top of things out in the real world, and you have to make your own choices and judgments all the time, but you don't really get that in school.
10. How to investigate and research information
https://www.tenor.co/view/detective-creep-search-l...
In an age when almost all our information comes from online resources, it's more important now than ever to teach children how to research and verify credible sources. The same goes for teaching better media literacy, since it can vastly change people's perspectives on important issues.
11. Emergency first aid
https://www.tenor.co/view/emergency-animated-carto...
This goes without saying, but everyone should know what to do in case of a medical emergency, and most people don't.
12. Actual, real life sexual health
https://www.tenor.co/view/movie43-period-911-emerg...
It's not really enough just to show a lot of pictures of genital herpes, which is basically the only memory I have of sexual health classes in school. There's a ton of stuff people should be taught, especially how to be safe and how to identify sexual harassment, which we can all agree is a huge issue today.
Well, that's at least 12 of the most important life skills students should be taught in schools, at least from what I've seen as a high school grad. If you think I forgot of left out anything, comment below!
