[quote=north park girl] A teacher friend of mine told me that if she got back into the classroom (she manages after school programs now) she would do an exercise with her high school students working backwards: say you want to live in a nice house one day. Maybe in a nice San Diego neighborhood. Look at the cost of a house, how much payments are. Add in other expenses and taxes, how much do you need to make to afford that (don’t forget saving for retirement)? What kind of jobs would pay that much? How much education do you need to do that job (most science fields, you need a PhD, for example, an undergrad degree won’t cut it)? How much does all that cost? Make sure to add it to your list of expenses. I think every student should do this–gets students thinking about the future in a realistic way and picking a major that gets them where they want, and also realizing how expensive being an adult is![/quote]

Kudos to your friend, the teacher!! We could use more like her.

I’ll go a bit farther: when I was younger, they were still trying to force female students into Home Economics, which was supposed to teach you how to take care of a house and cook and sew for your (obligatory) husband. I think that they did away with that too quickly. They should expand the course into a Life Management curriculum, and all male and female students should have to take it for 3 class periods per week in 10th and 11th grades. It should include all of the topics/skills they’ll need in life that their parents are supposed to teach them, but aren’t skilled in themselves. Basic personal finance (including the meaning of interest and how to calculate it, budgeting, use of credit, how to choose and purchase a car, insurance), basic nutrition and cooking, basic household cleaning and maintenance, minor household repairs/construction/electrical (I’m talking minor drywall patching or replacing the cord on a lamp), child care and first aid. I think that the essentials of investing and minor retirement planning should also be taught. If a parent cares enough to school their kids in these skills, those students can test out of the requirement.

If kids were in school for excessive amounts of time, this would create a hardship. But most high-schoolers are in attendance for 2 to 4 hours per day, exclusive of lunch, study halls, and extracurricular activities. Geez, if we can’t teach them to read past a 6th grade level, or to add and subtract without a calculator, let’s at least teach ’em to take care of their basic needs.