There are many things that should be taught in school. Fortunately, schools are already educating children on many vital topics. Learning how to read, write, and do basic math is invaluable; facts about science history are also beneficial in sometimes surprising ways. School is where many kids find their passions for music, arts, or books. However, educators, parents, and many people who are neither are concerned: Are schools really preparing children for success in adult life?
11 Things That Should Be Taught in School
Reddit user xxpamper took this debate to social media. The user opened the conversation with one simple question. “What is the one thing that should be taught in school that isn’t already?” This sparked a viral Reddit debate on how to improve today’s curriculum. Some people’s schools already taught things while others did not. Some disagreed with opinions entirely. Many argued that parents should be teaching certain subjects. Unfortunately, there’s no real answer to this discussion. However, here are 11 things that should be taught in school that many people seem to agree on.
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Logic
“Logic,” said Reddit user helpful_hank. “And I don’t mean a vague notion of ‘critical thinking’ — I mean the formal structure of basic conditional logic. ‘If this, then that. This. Therefore, that.’ And all the permutations. Basic logic is about as difficult as basic algebra. The few weeks it took me to learn it has served me the rest of my life.”
First Aid
“First Aid,” said Reddit user -eDgAR-. “I think it is really important to have some basic first aid skills because they could help save your life or the life of someone else.”
How to Hold a Conversation
“My grandad was a teacher and he subbed for a few weeks in one of the roughest areas in Ireland,” said another user. “The kids were 10-12 years old. He taught them life skills like how to set the table, how to hold a knife and fork, how to clean floors and other skills you need in day-to-day life. One of the most important ones he taught them was how to hold a conversation… These should all be taught by parents but where these kids come from there’s not huge hope of that happening.”
Law
“The law,” said Reddit user Kaninchen25 “Too many people don’t truly understand their rights and what they entail or even how the legal system functions at a basic level.”
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How to Make a Resume
“How to make a resume definitely,” said JSmoothie. “I’ve had 4 or 5 adults (between ages 40-55) ask me to help them after they saw mine.”
How to Learn
“We need to start teaching children how to learn,” said Reddit user reincarN8ed. “Instead of bombarding them with a list of facts to memorize and regurgitate at the end of the week, only to be forgotten forever… This is the age of information. It’s time we acted like it.”
Mental Health Awareness
“Mental health,” said user TheCrazyCatLady_. “How to keep your mind healthy, signs that you should be asking for help, that it’s not something to be ashamed of, etc.”
How to Adult
“Basic Adulting,” said BraveLilToaster42. “How retirement works, rental agreements, fundamentals of owning a car, creating a budget.”
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Better Intimacy Education
“An honest intimacy education,” said user rarely-sarcastic. “Scare tactics don’t work. They don’t prevent, but an honest discussion about these topics can make a huge difference.”
Relationship Ed
“I think there should be relationship ed as well,” said user human dustbin. “Just because you’re not being physically hurt, doesn’t mean it’s not abuse. I’m in my early 20s and it’s sad seeing so many of my peers in really unhealthy relationships and they just don’t know it.”
How to Fail
“Heard this on radio once and it made a lot of sense to me: Learning to fail,” explained user InsaneLazyGamer. “By that, I don’t mean that kids should be taught that failing is good and that it’s fine to fail but rather that if you do happen to fail, not just in school but in any aspect of life that it is not the end of the world.” “I’ve seen numerous straight-A students who have never failed before,” the user continues. “[They] start college or start working in the real world and when things don’t work out they are completely overwhelmed because they have never failed at anything ever before. A lot of the time they end up going into a depression and spiraling out of control. Kids should be taught how to deal with failure and that if you do happen to fail while it’s not okay, it’s not the end of the world either.”
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What Should Schools Teach?
Many of these proposed classes or topics are life lessons that come into play regularly in adult life. While some could take their own slot in the curriculum, some may do better being incorporated into other subjects. For example, logic and how to learn independently could easily be instructed in math, science, or history classes. The style of teaching would need to be adapted, not the subject itself. After all, schools should set up kids for adult life. No matter how these 11 topics are implemented, they should be taught. If numerous adults are proposing these topics for schools, this could be an indication that many curriculums lack lessons of these fundamental life skills and knowledge. However, the debate is still open. In your opinion, what things should be taught in school?
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Sources
- “What is the one thing that should be taught in school that isn’t already?” Reddit. U/xxpamper.2016.