Discussions

They say high school is to prepare your kids for the real world, however there seems to be a lack of knowledge and basic life skills in today's young adults. Everyone is so busy and there may be a lack of a time parents have with being able to teach their kids skills such as cooking, how to change a tire, understand taxes etc.  
Not to mention everyone these days is so reliant on phones. What happens if your stranded with no service or can't afford WiFi etc.  
 
Did you feel your children were prepped for the real world once graduating high school?  
 
Do you feel there should be life skill courses offered in school or if there was a place that would offer this type of service, would you take your children?

I am a retired teacher. I have seen a shift in emphasis in school curriculum. When I started, it seemed the focus of education was to prepare students for university. Life skills courses were “only for slow learners.” Recently work experience has become mainstream.  
 
I am also aware that parents tend to abdicate their responsibility to school. In discussions with employers I often hear of a lack in soft skills. The character to show up for work ready to work. Be on time. Be rested. Be civil to fellow workers and customers.  
 
Parents you can help prepare your kids for employment by teaching them to do simple tasks.

Most kids do not know how to make out Cheques nor do they know how to sign their name! Some do not know how to clean a apartment.

things are what parents should be teaching their children.

These are all things that should be thought by parents. School is and has always been the place to learn the fundamentals of education: life skills are taught by example.  
 
Sex Ed should be talked about before the grade 5 power point. Money management from doing chores, delivering papers, babysitting etc and saving for that Xbox, cell phone or PlayStation.  
 
I know every parent is doing what they think is best but what I see is parents caring more about their children being the cool kid they never were in school... the best clothes, in activities 6 days a week and being on the A team.  
 
I lived this as a youth and when I look back I really wish my parents had encouraged real friendships and worldly experiences over academic or sports achievements.

My dad has taught me the following:  
 
- how to cook  
- basically how to change a tire  
- basics of an income tax return  
- how to clean properly  
- laundry  
- the value of money  
- how to study/ importance of education  
- how to problem solve  
- coping skills  
- never to give up  
- how to manage my time properly (school, extra-curricular, family, etc.)  
 
Overall, he taught me how to live in the real world.  
By the way I''m only in gr. 8  
 
My dad also works two jobs, and a single parent  
 
Edited by , 2018-09-16 15:13:55

I have never found being an adult difficult and I think it's because I was raised by a Dad that would have looked at me like with squinted eyes and his head cocked to the right and said "what the hell is adulting? Don't talk like an idiot"  
 
I'm sure growing up in a home where the adults talk like children likely has a lot to do with why they grow up unprepared for anything. Schools are not teaching words like adulting and Ginormous and whatever other goofy language.  
 
School is there to teach you how to do math, read, write functionally, give you a general understanding of the physical sciences, a little history. Most important it's there to teach you how to function in society. How to make friends how to deal with social situations, how to be somewhere at a certain time every day, how to take coffee breaks and lunch breaks and organize your life around an 8 hour day, etc.  
 
If your parents have you for 18 years and don't teach you how to change a tire or cook a simple meal they aren't doing a very good job raising you.  
 
Schools fine the way it is.

the way they are. We are graduating a lot of "dummies  
who can barely read and write, they also lack comprehension and problem solving skills. Rather then hold a child back and face the wrath of their parents, teachers continually move them on to the next grade. Students get frustrated when advanced and lack the skills to understand and comprehend what is being taught, skills they should have acquired in a former grade. There is no shame in being held back or failing a grade or two in order to acquire the necessary learning skills to advance. Education use to be a partnership between school, teachers and parents - but somewhere along the way this fell by the wayside. When students have problems with homework or school problems how many parents refer them to the internet for a solution because they are to lazy to get involved. Its a pity that technology is todays new form of parent, because parents no longer want the responsibility of child rearing.

Teachers are rarely allowed to hold kids back anymore. Even if the parents request it! Just to let you know...

Reading this discussion , I get the idea that the school should be responsible for teaching kids everything they need to know to go out into the world .When I went to school many years ago the teacher taught us the 3R's plus a few other things like American history that I never saw much use in . My parents taught me how to wash dishes by hand , scrub floors on my hands and knees , cook a full meal , do laundry in an actual washing machine , etc . Besides this we also had to weed a large garden .We had no TV, phone and all the toys that everybody can't live without now . Our entertainment was softball, volleyball skating on an outdoor rink ,curling . And if we got too big for our pants , we got a swift kick in them ! Things are so different now and I think that life nowadays is changing much too fast and in time there will be nothing but chaos . we will all suffer, And mostly parents that are too involved to teach their kids the need of life , and the kids of these parents You don't need every new thing that comes on the market . All they do is make more pollution that is not biodegradable .

ram1952 said "the way they are. We are graduating a lot of "dummies   who can barely read and write, they also lack comprehension and problem solving skills. Rather then hold a child back and face the wrath of their parents, teachers continually move them on to the next grade. Students get frustrated when advanced and lack the skills to understand and comprehend what is being taught, skills they should have acquired in a former grade. There is no shame in being held back or failing a grade or two in order to acquire the necessary learning skills to advance. Education use to be a partnership between school, teachers and parents - but somewhere along the way this fell by the wayside. When students have problems with homework or school problems how many parents refer them to the internet for a solution because they are to lazy to get involved. Its a pity that technology is todays new form of parent, because parents no longer want the responsibility of child rearing. "

Do you have 3 examples of a kid you know that had graduated and could barely read? What level of problem solving are you expecting from an 18 year old kid? I would be very interested if you could find me some actual "I saw it" examples because I hear this all the time but in my 40+ years on this planet I've only encountered one person who couldn't read and the VAST VAST majority of people I encounter I place low on the problem solving spectrum. There is a difference between ability and apathy and apathy can't be taught out of you.  
 
To be blunt...the stupidest laziest people I can think of off the top of my head are all over 30, and I can provide you with examples. To me that's the saddest thing, 18 isn't adult it's fresh out of the system. It's like when a guy gets out of prison...they go from security and stability to "figure it out, you're on your own" and there isn't anything the school can or should do about teaching you how to cope with that...that's my job as a parent. I actually get angry when the school tries to move into my territory.