How Can Schools Train Us To Face The Real World
These five essential life skills would allow every student to live a more fulfilling life
I’ve only recently graduated college with an Engineering degree — enough vantage from school buses, homework and assignments to rethink school education. I grew up in the Indian school system —a society where “schools” are thought of as the core way that kids are prepared to live in the world.
There is a lot of pressure on kids to do well in school and score good grades. And these grades act as a standard over which our future performance is weighed. Are these grades just to make parents happy that their kid understands the syllabus?
Instead of teaching critical life skills personal growth training, finance management training, communication skills, emotional intelligence training, and healthy lifestyle training, we are mostly taught to memorize information. Some may argue that parents should teach these life skills to their kids, but not all parents are qualified to teach these lessons. The way we need a maths teacher to have a master’s degree in mathematics, the same way we need a Sexologist to give sex education to students.
Even in existing classes focus is just on theory but not real life application. I remember once gathering the courage to ask my geography teacher, “Why do we study geography?”. She replied,
“Because it is an important subject. Don’t you want to know about the place you are living in? Are you not curious about the natural world? It is also a part of syllabus of important examinations like UPSC in case you aspire to be an IAS officer.”
Her answer couldn’t make me understand where can I apply and use all this knowledge of earth’s surface and maps. That's probably the reason why I disliked school. Tons of tests, assignments, homework and examinations, and yet I didn’t know the real world application of subjects I was studying. Why are schools positioned as such when they can’t tell the real world practical reasons to study some subject?
Why should a kid study when an eighteen year old high school pass out doesn’t know even the basic things like how to cook, manage money, negotiate, or communicate?
Why should parents spend their hard earned money on paying school fees when the child is not even taught a single skill that could be monetized? Let alone earning money, the child doesn’t even know how to navigate life despite being a ‘topper’.
Here are 5 basic life things I wish I were taught in school. What do you think?
1— Internet and Social Media Literacy Classes
In the digital age, where it seems everyone is going hashtag perfect life on us, knowing basic social media skills would help to consume content responsibly. Apart from this it can also help students learn to develop their personal brand online which can be later used to acquire customers or clients.
A good digital literacy program would teach students:
- How to input phrases for better search accuracy (on Google and academic websites)
- How to critically think about the content we consume and verify sources online
- How to create valuable content instead of just consuming it
- How to make a personal brand using content creation
- How to avoid getting into social media comparison trap
- How to prevent from being a victim of cyberbullying, hacking etc.
2— Sex Education Classes
Researchers from the University of Washington found that teens who receive comprehensive sex education are significantly less likely to become pregnant.
A good sex education class would teach students:
- Human development, including puberty, anatomy, sexual orientation, and gender identity
- Sexual behavior, including the full spectrum of ways people choose to be, or not be, sexual beings
- Sexual health, including sexually transmitted infections, birth control, pregnancy, and abortion
3— Communication Skills
Our generation is the first one to grow up with tablets and smartphones. Hence it is all the more important to teach kids traditional ways of communicating face-to-face and understanding non-verbal cues of communication.
A good communication skills class would teach students:
- How to initiate a conversation
- How to communicate in an understandable and memorable way
- How to deal with angry and difficult people
- How to get past ultimatums and the art of negotiation
- How to politely disagree and disengage arguments
- How to read nonverbal cues of communication like body language, facial expressions etc.
4— Emotional Intelligence
Suicidal rates doubling over the past decade leaves us with many concerning questions regarding the mental health of today’s youth. Research has documented that higher emotional intelligence can act as a protective factor against anxiety and depression.
A good emotional intelligence class would teach students:
- How to use emotional vocabulary to identify and express emotions
- How to be self aware and prevent burnout
- How to bond with parents, teachers and friends
- How to empathize with others
5 — Cooking
According to this article, highly processed foods make up 67% of youth diets. Teaching kids to cook their own meals makes them more capable of making healthier choices.
A good cooking class would teach students:
- How to confidently and safely use a knife to cut vegetables and fruits
- How to saute, boil, fry, peel, chop, pour and bake
- Understanding of basic cooking ingredients and how to use them to cook simple recipes
- How to plate, garnish and present a meal that looks as delicious as it tastes
Today’s teens and youth are facing different social issues because of the fast-paced changing world. They’re the first one’s to be bombarded with notifications telling them they don’t have a perfect life. They’re the first generation whose lives are saturated by social media content. Hence the curriculum needs to be revised to prepare them for the real world and use the content responsibly.
Our youth needs to understand these topics in a formal, standardized and structured way so that they don’t fall prey to false information.
Is there anything I missed here?
I’d love to hear your suggestions as well.
