Imagine an emergency: people are panicking, running and yelling, and above the chaos, someone calls out “Is there anyone here who knows what the powerhouse of the cell is?” or “How do you find the slope of a line using two coordinates?” or “What is the seventh amendment?” Yeah, that’s not going to happen. What is far more likely is someone needing help changing a tire, performing CPR, or filing their taxes.
It is just as important to learn life skills as it is to study academics. Being knowledgeable regarding life skills can help students learn how to handle everyday challenges such as budgeting, cooking, communication, how to change a tire, asking for help, and how to manage grief. If we were to add these classes to the curriculum, we would prepare students for the real world and help them build confidence in their abilities. Life skills should be a priority for school.
Knowing how to live on your own and not rely on others is very important. Some parents don’t teach their kids everything they need to know in order to function on their own. Knowing how to change a tire is very important; if your tire blows up on the side of the road, what are you going to do? Call someone? It can be a very stressful situation if you don’t know what to do.
Decades ago, students were given a project to take care of a fake baby. This helped instruct students on how it would be to have their own baby and revealed the responsibilities that come with. Babies need constant attention and when a student isn’t properly caring for the baby, it will cry. This project is beneficial for learning patience, responsibility, and how to manage your time. It makes you think twice about the realities of parenthood. Teachers who run the project also find that their students emerge from the lesson with a better understanding of newborns and information that may have been unknown to them otherwise.
It is very important that students know how to cook. Cooking is one of the most important skills you learn in the process of adulting. Culinary classes provide a unique opportunity to develop valuable life skills. An Article from the Philadelphia family says that, “Teenagers often gravitate toward fast food and unhealthy snacks, but cooking classes introduce them to fresh, nutritious ingredients in an engaging way. ” Cooking classes give teens hands-on experience that builds confidence in their abilities, and while we offer a few cooling classes here at Harrison, what could a more in-depth approach do to benefit students?
It’s important to know how to hold a professional conversation for situations such as scheduling appointments or attending an interview. Communcation is a very big part of success. By learning communication skills, students learn to speak clearly and assertively.
There are many other classes that students would significantly benefit from for their futures. For instance, imagine students graduating from school with excellent scores but not knowing how to cope with reality.
