If there was anything that this country needed more of, it would definitely be life skills. Public schools today prepare kids to go out into the world and get a job. They prepare kids to make money and be good little workers. One of the many problems with that is, once teenagers finally graduate and go out on their own, they don't know any basic skills in order to survive. When I was in high school, I took one class that benefited to my life skills and that was culinary arts. I probably learned more in that class than I ever would in something like geometry. And you know what's sad about that? Geometry was a requirement in order for me to graduate high school. Culinary arts was not.
Teenagers that graduate today leave their guardians house more than likely not knowing how to cook, clean, handle money, start a fire, sew, pay bills, take care of a house, or even garden. These are skills that are used every single day and are more beneficial to survival and life than the things that are taught today. Knowing how to get a job and having the skills for that job is important, but when that person can't even come home and cook themselves a decent meal, I see a problem.
Knowing basic life skills will save a person and benefit them more in the long run, so why isn't it a requirement in the United States? In other countries, school's require children to learn about home-ec. They teach the children about cooking, cleaning, and using money far sooner and more frequently than the U.S. does. And guess what those countries have to show for it? They have more people that are more competent in life skills, and in turn become better citizens of society for that.
It would seem as if the U.S. doesn't want kids and teenagers to have these skills. It would seem they want us to just know how to make money and work us to death. To be completely honest, I'd like to be able to rely on myself. I'd like to be comfortable in knowing that I do know how to cook, I do know how to clean, I do know how to knit and sew, I do know how to garden, and I do know how to handle my money. So, please, no matter who you are, whether you're an adult, teenager, or child and even male or female, learn a new life skill. It'll help you throughout your life, and it will make you feel even better about yourself. Hopefully, one day, the U.S. can turn over a new leaf and we will have citizens who once again know how to survive and thrive on their own.
