In my philosophy, school is a place
to help prepare students become the best, most productive citizens possible,
and yet, our focus in schools are almost solely on four academic subjects:
English, Math, Science, and Social Studies/History. Though these subjects are
incredibly important for later in life, I think that certain practical skills
are neglected that are absolutely necessary to learn.
For example, college was when I was forced to start learning about how to save and spend money wisely, pay my own taxes, do minor home repairs and learn how to cook for myself. I would think, why didn’t I learn this earlier? Why aren’t these skills taught in school? And I suppose, to a small degree, they are. In middle school and high school, there was one Home economics class offered, which often was given a bad rap, and one Money Management class, to this day I wish I had taken.
In terms of money management, there
several topics that are hardly ever touched upon in the academic courses in
school, such as understanding income, taxes, salaries for different careers,
pros and cons of college, credit & borrowing, risk management, and
insurance. Important questions to raise include: what does it mean to
budget? What things are important to spend on? How can I distinguish long-term
and short-term savings goals? What is charitable giving, and how do I do that?
Home economics may seem like an
outdated genre of learning, and skills such as cooking, sewing, repairs, and
DIY simply aren't covered in schools. Though there are many trade-specific
schools that focus on teaching these skills, I think it would be valuable for
schools to have small courses offered to help students begin learning how to
live independently, and many of these traditional "home ec" skills
are essential for students to know. This Daily Good article offers several
traditionally non-school skills that children must learn. I would argue that
these skills should be given more thought in schools.
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