Over my lifetime, I have discovered that all schools, elementary, middle, high school and college teach you a wide variety of topics to learn. Your basic math is essential, history is important, science teaches you about your environment and what bugs you shouldn't eat, art teaches you you’re not an artist, and taking French lets you pick up a date if you were ever in France. However, if there was ever a subject I couldn’t figure out, it would be algebra. Although interesting, it is practically useless to me unless you have a career in astrophysics, engineering, etc. Why should it be required throughout our whole lives if we will never have to use it essentially in our lifetime outside of class? If even other teachers and professors state they never use Algebra, why is it still required? Well, I have been tired of people struggling to pass (including myself) in college, so I came up with things I’d rather learn than letters plus numbers square rooted by infinity…
1. How to build credit outside of school.
Sure there are a few classes that may teach this, but I have never seen any required. Building credit will be crucial in our lives to obtain a house, a car, or maybe one day a yacht. However, people have to learn through greedy banks on how to build credit, which isn’t the most helpful. If schools would focus more on this, maybe there would be less debt.
2. How to freaking cook.
Sure, I watch "Chopped" and "Rachel Ray," but every time I try their recipes, I give myself food poisoning. There should be mandatory classes where you have to learn how to cook a nice breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way, when you’re on your first date, you can brag about cooking.
3. What’s wrong with my car 101
Nearly every student drives a car, if not, they have their parents drive, or a bus may take them. I highly doubt someone drives a jet to class but if you do, this isn’t for you. How many people don’t know how to change a flat tire? How many don’t realize that when it says to check engine soon it doesn’t mean check it in two years. Figuring out what is wrong with your car and how to fix it can save you a lot of time and money.
4. Why’s my baby crying 300.
Most of us one day will want kids and if that’s the case, we are never prepared for what to expect. Long nights, stressful days, it all comes with having a baby. What if I told you there are ways to prepare you? Definitely don’t shake a baby to make it stop crying, don’t put them upside down, etc. Sounds silly, but hey you never know. Basically, this class will help you expect what you’re not expecting. 
5. What the heck is a mortgage, health insurance, dental, 401(k), blah blah blah?
Honestly, I haven’t met many peers who understand the concept of how to go about insurance. I don’t know many people who know the definition of a mortgage. So how is the world expecting us to learn this when we’re learning about x-z/ y+0= 4>3? Just typing that made my head hurt. We need to learn the basic fundamentals of what we need in the “real world.” My parents can’t keep putting me on their insurance and I don’t even know when to begin my retirement! If these classes were required, however boring it may be, they would be beneficial to our success outside. 
6. What medicine works, how to tell your sick, etc. ?
Tired of having to make doctor appoitments whenever you feel sick? Wouldn't it be nice to know how to diagnose yourself, even if it is for just a minor cold or allergies, it would be nice to be able to diagnose yourself. An even better learning objective would be which medicine can help and what couldn't. 
7. How to survive in the wild.
Sooner or later, one of us in school is going to end up stranded on an island or in the mountains. "Man vs. Wild" can only teach us so much, it'd be nice to know how to build a fire or what bugs have the most protein. Not all of us were cub scouts. 
8. How do politics really work?
Corruption, conspiracies, wouldn't you like to know what is really going on through our government? I sure do. 
9. Random animals doing random things 101
10. How to successfully mow grass 202
11. How to separate darks from whites 303 (clothes not people)
12. When your friend-zoned 404
There is nothing wrong with learning Algebra, I just don’t believe it should be required while there are other things I’d rather pay to learn. It is nice knowing you understand and could possibly use it once in your life, if you were in that field, or if the world was ending and you had to build a spaceship. In all honesty, I am not trying to bash Algebra as a whole, just as a fraction.
