9 Things That Students Should Actually Be Learning In Schools | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

9 Things That Students Should Actually Be Learning In Schools

How about a little realistic guidance in life?

1781
9 Things That Students Should Actually Be Learning In Schools
Pexels

I spent my entire high school career crying, stressing and beating myself up over trying to learn Algebra I didn’t understand, and will honestly never use in the real world.

Yet I am just supposed to figure out how to buy a car, own a house, pay my way through college, and overall be a successful adult all on my own. We must wander through life with guidance only from our parents, people who raised us, or people around us. What about those with no guidance?

It’s an age-old question as to why we are taught irrelevant things in school and do not focus on real adult-life preparation. Why learn Shakespeare and Geometry when I need to learn how to manage insurance plans, 401(k), and savings accounts? All while trying to raise a family, land a well-paying career and not let life screw me over.

Um, how about a little realistic help here?

English, History, Math and Science classes are all extremely important, yes, but how about having a “Taxes and Finances Class,” or “Life-Planning 101?” Something with a little substantial adulthood guidance should be implemented in curriculum.

Here are a few important things that should actually be taught in school:


1. How to pay bills and budget for life.

Paying bills is something we just cannot avoid. It stresses us out, weighs us down, holds us back, yet in order to survive, we must pay our debts to society. It’s a cruel world out there and the cost of living is difficult to manage. A class on budgeting bills, saving money and having a solid overall financial plan would be really beneficial to young adults.

2. Taxes.

"They ain’t teaching taxes in school. It don’t even matter, I was actin a fool.”

Maybe this line by Chance The Rapper speaks truth pertaining to kids beings too young and immature to even learn important topics in school. I goofed off in many high school classes and don’t remember the lessons taught. But something like taxes is so important, which you must deal with for the rest of your life. When teenagers start working, they deserve to understand how their hard-earned money is distributed to the government.

3. How to buy a car or house.

Whether you have to take out a loan, have a co-signer, pay interest, or put down a certain percentage towards something, these things are difficult to understand without experience. Since these are things EVERYONE has to do, don’t you think we should teach young people how it’s done?

4. How to refinance a loan.


According to Forbes, there is $1.3 trillion in student loan debt in the U.S., and the average student has $37,172 in student loan debt. These numbers are frightening. They are also continuing to go up.

When you take out a private loan, there is no relief when paying it back. Whether you get a job right out of college or not, you are required to pay back ridiculously high costs of student loans. This is nearly impossible to afford at a starting salary, let alone if you can’t even get hired. That is why refinancing is so important. The option to pay a lower amount over a longer period of time is beneficial—but only if you do it right.

How are we supposed to understand important terms like principal, interest, deferment, etc., when we are never taught them? We're told we must go to college, but we aren't taught how to manage the debt we must put ourselves in to get there.

5. How to network and prepare for job interviews.


Even though my high school had “mock interview” days, where all seniors dressed business professional and were interviewed by a randomly-selected teacher or advisor, this was not enough. There should have been an entire class on how to make it in the career world. Not everyone can afford to go to college, and for those who can, it would be nice to get a head-start learning about the career field your getting yourself into before committing to a major .

6. About marriage, divorce, child support, relationships, etc.


Most schools have required health classes, aka the good ol' sex ed, where we talk about the physical and biological aspects of relationships. But what we don't talk about is the social aspects of relationships, or legal aspects of matrimony and childcare. This seems like one of the most important things to learn about considering we build our lives around building a family. A little advice on dating during the time you begin to date would be nice, right?

7. How to build credit.


I never realized how important good credit is until I became an adult and found out I need it for, well, EVERYTHING. To pretty much have anything of your own you need to build credit, but how are we supposed to understand the ways to go about that? We need to know about good and bad credit scores, what kind of credit cards to open, how to manage them, and so much more. This is an important topic that teenagers should be exposed to before hitting their 20s.

8. How insurance works.


Insurance is defined as "a means of protection from financial loss." So, it seems like a pretty important topic to learn considering we must use it in our daily lives. A class on insurance plans and risk management would be greatly beneficial to high school students in order to prepare for bills in the real world.

9. Mental health.


This is probably the most important of them all, and not addressed nearly enough. With the continuous occurrences of tragedies, violence, fatalities and hate among teenagers and young adults, the epidemic of mental health is one of today’s most prevalent topics. This education is desperately needed in schools, especially for kids who suffer from mental illness, which may be taboo in their home life.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

3104
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

302137
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments