Imagine waking up at 6 or 6:30 in the morning, finding the energy to pull yourself out of bed, and throwing that granola bar into your mouth to get to school in time, only to find yourself going through a daily routine of classes that you will most likely never need again for the future. High school definitely needs to mandate some prerequisites, but there needs to be some other classes that are mandatory as well.
Put yourself in a high schooler's shoes for a quick second or two. I mean sure there are the basic requirement classes such as personal finance, gym, and health, but how many of the students actually value those? As much as the school boards want to hear, the answer is, little to none. This is because most of the students decide to take those classes in the first or second year just so that they can fulfill the requirement, to graduate.
Schools need to reconsider some class options for high school students that actually prepare them for the future. From a college student's perspective, there are many aspects of life that I had to jump right into which high school did not prepare me at all for. Here are just a few of those aspects and how having a class over that would help tremendously.
1. Budgeting/Taxes
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Most schools do offer Personal Finance for high schoolers, but frankly speaking, the students try to take it as early as possible so they can get rid of that requirement. Yay good for you kiddo, you can graduate, but do you actually know how to pay off your taxes or what a loan is? Schools should offer mandatory classes on these topics that stress the ideas of budgeting, paying taxes, loans, and insurance.
To be honest, I don't know how to do many of these things and I'll be off to the adult world in about a couple of years. If high school prepared me better and stressed the importance of it all, I would be much better prepared. Students need to be educated on the significance of budgeting because it is hard to keep track of money when the situation arises to immediately buy items. Learning how to get insurance is also very necessary in order for survival in the world.
2. Current Politics
https://www.beliefnet.com/news/politics/is-it-okay-to-talk-about-politics-in-public.aspx
Sure, there may be that required US Government class, but learning more about current events in politics is probably more valuable.There is possibly a gray area to this subject because there tends to be a lot of bias involved, but if the material is taught in the fairest way, students will be a lot more aware of what is going on in the world. I'm a victim of not frequently keeping up with the news or understanding politics, so I wish that I was more educated on a topic like this because it's unbelievably important to keep up on current issues in society.
3. Housekeeping/Culinary Nutrition
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Sanket Shah
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The first thing that made me realize that I don't know much about housekeeping is living in my dorm . It's beneficial for everyone to know how and when to clean certain equipment because it will be that much more useful later on in the future when there actually is a house involved. Also, learning basic culinary skills should be required because it will benefit greatly in college especially.
Students have to know how to feed themselves when they don't have the money or transportation available for going out to eat. A slight side note, the inner health freak in me is coming out, but seriously, don't eat out every day. That's disgusting and so unhealthy for you. Learning how to cook nutritious food from basic kitchen appliances will be so extremely helpful. People will be jealous admiring how good your mac and cheese looks compared to theirs and that is something worth learning for.
4. Career Help
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As high school students, many people are unaware of what they are planning to do with their lives, but there should at least be some guidance for this matter. Students should at least get a good sense of what area they are going into so if and when they go to college, they'll have a better sense of possible majors and career pathways.
Yes, students should keep an open mind, but also need to be educated about the many occupations out there. They need to be aware that there is an option for everyone and should not feel pressured about the whole process. During this class, discussing possible careers, talking about job interview skills, and touching on the process of internships (even in the local community) will help people get a head start.
5. Time/Stress Management
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This one is a biggie and I'm sure many people will agree with me on this. Undoubtedly the most difficult thing transitioning from high school to college is the ability to learn how to manage time and stress wisely. It's the first time where you are left to be independent and take care of everything yourself. I'm not gonna lie, it gets pretty overwhelming, especially if there is not good management involved.
Having a mandatory class that teaches basic skills to be productive and prevent procrastination will allow the student to be better planners in the future. Knowing how to cope with stress is extremely significant as well, so that mental issues are prevented since they can be very detrimental to a person's lifestyle. It's important to know how to manage these two topics in the most efficient way.
Of course there are probably many more mandatory courses that high schools should offer that will prepare adolescents for the future, but these are just some that personally pop into my mind. High school has prepared me well for the academics side, but not so much for survival in the community. That is a problem that should be fixed soon.
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