Voting, Taxes, Mortgages: The Case For Teaching Practical Life Classes In High School

What skills should be taught in high school? We all know that high school is the perfect time to prepare kids for the real world, getting them ready to fly the nest. In the US education system, children study a broad range of subjects including English, math, and science, as well as other topics such as foreign language, history, art, music, and physical education. Students in the US therefore cover a wide range of subjects, and are typically considered academic generalists for the majority of their academic journey (until they specialize in third-level education).

High school is a time for our children to learn more about themselves and their peers, improving their social abilities, as well as building up their academic skills. This essential period of intense development and learning is of vital importance for setting up our children for the rest of their lives, and teaching them the lessons they require for a fruitful and happy future.

The case for teaching practical life classes in high school
Of course, all of the above points toward the fact that high school already helps our children to prepare for life afterward, whether they continue their education or move into the workforce. Most young people finish their high school education with the ability to do basic research, solve a variety of problems, make good choices, and associate well with their peers.

More recently, however, there has been growing support for the introduction of life skills, or self-sufficiency classes, into the high school curriculum. So, what is self-sufficiency training? What do you learn in a life skills class, exactly?

Depending on the source, life skills or self-sufficiency classes have varying focuses and definitions. For example, a recent Forbes article advocates for the teaching of what they call “financial literacy classes”. They discuss the fact that roughly 60% of Americans struggle to manage their personal finances. So why do schools not teach life skills? While some states require schools to include financial literacy classes in the curriculum, many do not. And if it isn’t included in the curriculum, teaching a subject of this type is usually not practiced.

The Forbes article’s argument is that classes covering topics surrounding financial issues have several life-long benefits for those enrolled. These benefits include the ability to better make important financial decisions, knowing how to save adequately (and why this is a necessity), and understanding student loan debt and its impacts. It argues that having the ability to manage finances in a better way will reduce stress levels and therefore have an effect on other areas of life, improving mental and physical health in general. Surveys show that many students feel unable to control their finances, and feel out of control of their finances. Therefore, these kinds of classes could indeed be a very important addition to the subjects studied in high school.

What skills should be taught in high school in self-sufficiency training?
If we focus on the financial side of this question, the types of topics covered would include the process for opening a bank account, how credit works and how to upkeep your credit score, how to budget, how to save properly, and how to compare different products to get the best value. This is the model being followed in several schools in Philadelphia, for example, where 19 public schools will receive a grant for the teaching of financial literacy classes. It is believed that these classes will greatly improve the relationship of young adults towards money and anything related to finance, which will increase overall quality of life.

Teaching real world life skills for high school students
Financial literacy is just one aspect of self-sufficiency classes. Other useful topics to be covered in this class could be those associated with other areas of life – things like how to enroll to vote and the voting process in general, how to pay taxes, and what the stock market really is (and how it works). At a broader level, it could include wider elements of critical thinking and problem-solving – including how to fact-check the news, for example, to protect against “fake news”, sadly a growing phenomenon in today’s world. Increasing social media usage and technological advances mean that students would perhaps benefit from increased education surrounding healthy interaction with digital worlds, for a more balanced online presence.

Should teens be taught practical skills in school? These kinds of subjects, in addition to those already taught in high school, could offer a secure and well-founded way to propel our children into adulthood with a solid footing. Ensuring the children and teenagers of today have the knowledge to become well-informed adults who understand how to make good financial decisions could mean that the next generation enjoy improved mental, physical and financial health.

Academia need not be purely theoretical: should we include more of those practical life lessons too? Many believe that the answer to this question is a strong yes. Perhaps it’s time that we incorporate the teaching of a practical, life-focused class such as this into our curricula, so that we can keep up with the changing times while still respecting and benefiting from the existing lessons we learn and grow from in high school.

Featured image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash