Life Skills Class?

This is my first thread, so please be kind. Also if it belongs somewhere else please feel free to move it.

Last week I read an article about a school district updating their sex ed classes and the school board meeting had parents coming to blows over it. It got me thinking about what kids aren’t being taught in school that they should be. Sadly we have to face the fact more and more kids are being popped out by kids who have NO education or life skills. They aren’t learning anything at home and a lot of kids are being swept through the school systems without a proper education.
I’d call it Life Skills Class, and it should be a mandatory class every year till you graduate. As the kids get older the subject matter would change accordingly.

K-7) The youngsters should be educated on stranger danger and alike. What is good touch and bad touch and to speak up about it. That you can tell your parents, teachers, police etc. They are there to help you, not hurt you. Respect your peers, adults, teachers and law enforcement. They are all here to help you. You can start teaching what proper hygiene is and why its important. Sadly many older kids and adults never learn this one. The difference between boys and girls. Girls and boys learning about how girls start their periods and not being ashamed or embarrassed about it. Learning basic manners and how to be polite and courteous. Not to hurt others and when you do how it makes them feel. Basically empathy. Respect and be kind to animals. The importance of proper dress & speech and how it reflects and benefits you. Respecting yourself and others. Sex education, what sex is and how you get pregnant and how you can prevent it. What is consent and what is rape. Sadly kids are having sex younger and younger. Drug, alcohol, and cigarette education. What it can do to your body/mind and the consequences, Again young kids are having parties where they get so high and drunk that they are sleeping around and raping each other then recording it on cell phones. These behaviors are not normal. Teach proper nutrition and a healthy way of eating. Start teaching them to cook and at early age. How to use a card catalog in a real library. How to research something without using a computer. Teach them how to type and how to take proper notes. Peer Pressure and how to handle it.

8-12) Again, there can never be enough sex education. STD's, what they are, how you get them and what they can do to you. What is consent and what is rape. How to report Rape if it happens and how to get help. Domestic violence, what it is and how to get help if you are experiencing it. Peer Pressure and how to deal with it. Bullies and how to deal with them. There are all different types of races, ethnicity, gender, sexual identities, and body types on this planet and everyone needs to be treated with the same respect, decency and laws. Were not all the same and that's OK. How you get pregnant, and how easily you can prevent it. How a baby changes your life and those around you. How much it costs to have and raise a child. Always drug, alcohol and cigarette education. Again respecting your body, yourself and others, Suicide prevention and how it affects those left behind. Sexual abuse, what it is, how to report it when it happens and how to get help. That love and broken hearts are normal and not the end of the world. Boys should be taught how to respect and treat girls and the same for girls treating boys. Again manners, how to speak properly, how to act in public, etc.... Proper etiquette for girls and boys. How to set a table, wash your clothes, sew on a button and hem your pants. Change your oil, change a tire, balance a check book, how to make a resume, how to dress for job interviews and carry yourself during one. Again personal hygiene, nutrition, healthy eating and learning to cook. How to plan meals for a week and run a household. Moving out on your own means cooking, cleaning, and paying bills. Why you pay your bills and why its important to do so on time. Also learning not to live beyond your means. Along with learning to balance a check book you should learn how to save money, why its important and the many different ways to do it. How to get a job, and why attendance and performance are important. Figuring out what you'd like for a career. Learning that you don't always win, and how to be a graceful looser and or winner. That you can't always get what you want, when you want and that's OK. Girls and boys should be taught self defense. How porn, reality TV, TV, movies, video games and music videos aren't real. Girls need to learn not to put themselves in harmful situations. What are date rape drugs and how you might take them without knowing. What might happen if you black out because your high or drunk. When drugs and alcohol are involved the only person you can trust is yourself. Don't expect others to have your best interest at heart. Plus all of the stuff from K-7. It should all be constantly taught and retaught till you graduate.

I know there is a lot more that could be added. Most of it is common sense and long forgotten etiquette but these things are very important and not being taught. Kids need guidance, structure and the truth. Parents are letting the internet, TV, music, movies, and video games raise their children. No wonder we have become more violent, entitled and dumb. Would you let your kids attend the class, would you add or take anything from the class? How can we help future children grow into nice productive healthy adults?

I think now more than at anytime in history, less of a percentage of children are being born to children with no education. Considering once upon a time, most women had one job ..stay home and pop out kids with no access to education.

Some good ideas here, but also some outdated ones.

I don't know where you will find a library with a physical card catalog anymore, any modern library in the US has all of that on a computer.

Balancing a checkbook, as in a physical checkbook, never happens for anyone I know who is 40 or under because we don't use checks anymore. Online banking changed this. The only checks I think I have written while living in the US was for rent, but even then, some places I lived had that online as well. I do agree we should teach children about basic finances. Some schools offer classes for this. I taught a class called Financial Algebra to high school seniors when I was teaching in the US, but it wasn't a required class.

a reply to: TycoonBarnaby

Whether its a check book or bank statement it should be balanced. I have kids at work that spend spend spend and then wonder why they got hit with overdraft fees. Saying "but it said I had money in my acount". They don't bother to make sure everything has been cleared yet. When you use your debit card it doesn't always come out right away. You still need to balance your spending.

a reply to: ZenTam

Use debit cards ( visa ) so you can access the system, but always hit savings or cheque - credit will throw you out !

Everyone should learn to meditate for at least 30 minutes a day.