Meditation

Why adults are silly, but they mean well

Dream spelunking

Money is Awesome

Why lampshades make good megaphones

What is this? (examination of something, like a rock, or a beam of light, or a rainbow from a prism)

Scream marathon

Math is awesome (unfortunately, need good teachers for this one and not every teacher is good)

Wear any clothes!

Make it! (people design 'machines')

Another language!  (start 'em young)

I'd love to see conflict resolution introduced very early on...simple basics for the early grades that could be practiced throughout the school years and expanded upon as the years went by. 

Ah, that would be a lovely peaceful world! 

Frustrated seeler? 

In addition to teaching our young ones to speak we need to teach them to think, to read, to listen, to comprehend and to write in a reasonable facsimile of the English language.

When my kids were in school I frequently questioned what I thought were low standards in all these things.  It is my grandchildren who are now in school and the standards seem to be even lower. 

Oh, and religions around the world, started as early as feasible

How to build your own organism/parent/friend/pet/element/doctrine

Social groupings around the world (the different forms of family)

Dimension Hopping and You

Chocolate is a food group

I'd love to see a required course in relationship skills, including conflict resolution, for sure.  Wish we had had it when I was in school.  But noooooooo, the Powers That Was thought that being able to parse a sentence and tell an adjective from an adverb was sooo much  more important.... 

I'd like to see them learn more about diversity - not just cultural or religious diversity, but diversity in lifestyles, ability levels and more. Then, perhaps as they got older, these children would be more willing to be accepting of others.

Oh yeah, and a change to our society that everyone is made sterile right away and the only way to get it reversed would be to take some form of course :3

I see a relationship between conflict resolution and learning about diversity and language skills.  I think it starts in kindergarden with 'no hitting'  and 'use your words', and 'indoor voices' (with the provision that the 'indoor voice' for your table group is not the same as you 'presentation voice' for the classroom or your 'cheering voice' for the playground or sports field).  

Of course listening skills are also part and parcel with this picture.  So are thinking skills and empathy. 

Another subject I would like to see taught is finances.  Perhaps with a unit in Grades 6, 9, and 12.   Probably as part of the math courses.  Prepare kids for the real world.  Don't just teach fractions, percent, and interest rates - let them see how this applies when they run up a credit card debt, or buy a car.  For that matter, let them figure out how much it will cost to own a car - list price, credit charges, insurance, gas, maintenance, parking, etc and so on.  Let them compare this to the price of walking or biking, taking a bus or even a taxi. 

Teach them about minimum wage - how much will they actually receive after taxes and deductions - how far would it go?  Assignment - make up a shopping list for a week's groceries, then go out to the supermarkets and find out how much this will cost.  Do the same with shelter - check the newspaper ads - rental for an apartment?  (don't forget heat, lights, cable).  Compare this to home ownership.  Let them decide where they would like to live and then find out how much it will cost and how much they will need to earn to afford it.

By high school this could be expanded - cost and financial return on an education - student loans - savings - investing - RRSPs - pensions - health benefits.

I wish I had learned these lessons when I went to school.  I wish my children did.  And now I see my 15 year old granddaughter with no idea about income and outgo and the simple fact that 'if your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall.'

Hi Seeler:
Your last post seems to talk about youth learning what might be called "Life Skills." And if you did not learn these in school, where did you learn them. Experience?  Did you have a mentor?  Dad, Mom, Uncle, co-worker, boss, etc.?

I agree, lets teach life skills. Then at least younger people would be better able to face the changing world.

thanks

I don't think there's many subjects that need to be added, but what needs to be changed is how certain topics are taught.  I do think a finance course in junior high would be beneficial, or at least cover more of it in math before high school.

I learned about stocks in 2 classes - computers (part of learning excel) and project business.  All what we learned was how to look them up and track how they were doing after we picked them.  It was my Dad who taught me about certain things to look for, and in both classes my teachers questioned why my stocks weren't like the other students with brands like Disney, Pepsi or various clothing brands.  My penny stocks actually did quite well!  We also never learned about the trading costs, even my dad didn't teach me that.  I learned after undergrad that playing with $100 in the stock market isn't worth it when I looked into the fees.

We did have to do things like find an apartment and figure out the rent, etc in CALM.  It was a joke and meant that I couldn't fit in typical computers course in grade 11, the last year that I had room for an option.

Like seeler, I think public speaking and presentation skills (not just speaking but how to use presentation software and other media effectively, how to plan a presentation, and so on) are very important in the day and age. As you say, maybe not a separate course but something that could be integrated into other parts of the curriculum. Certainly, when I was in school, we did a unit in Gr. 8 English where we had to write and present a speech.

A general "Religions of the world" program would be nice for high school. In UU we do this in our RE program, but many children don't really learn much about faiths outside that of their family (and may not even know much about that one if the family isn't particularly active in it). I certainly didn't get any serious study of world religions until I took the introductory Religious Studies program as an elective in university.

Finances are taught to varying degrees, in bits and pieces. My son just did a unit using managing a stock portfolio to learn some aspects of math. They may touch on interest in math as well. What is missing is tying it all together so I think a "Personal Finance/Economics" program at the high school level that does the high level "here's how it all fits together" would be a good idea. Again, it's something that may not be taught at home or may not be taught well at home (after all, can parents who've made a hash of their finances are sinking in debt really teach the kids how to handle money).

Mendalla

To that, I would add that some kind of introductory philosophy that touches on basic notions about logic, epistemology, and so on. Ethics could get touchy, but maybe a broader look at how the tools of philosophy can be applied to ethical issues without pushing particular solutions to the issues being used as examples. Definitely high school, though some basic logic could be incorporated earlier.

Mendalla

RevMatt - I didn't learn them from anyone in particular.  My Mom died when I was young (14) and my dad was deep in depression - and there was almost no money - not even enough to put food on the table or clothes on our backs - pretty hard to learn money management.  I guess gradually I did learn a few things from common sense and life experience - don't spend money you don't have.   But it took my husband (who believed that as soon as a car was paid for it was time to trade it) and I a lifetime to learn some things that could have been learned so much easier when we were going up.  Not all kids have the advantage of having parents who can explain savings and investments, and the advantages of borrowing for some things (few people I know pay cash for a house) and saving for others (a car, a vacation).  

Curiosity and critical thinking, art, language skills and numeracy. Life sciences and cultural awaerenes would also be good. I'd get rid of anything that's job or career oriented… computing included.

Computing is no longer just a career thing, though. For our generation, perhaps, it is, but for Little M's generation it's a primary resource and tool for almost everything (IOW, it comes under "life skills" rather than just "job skills") and I'd like them to learn how to use that resource/tool properly and thoughtfully. Applying critical thinking skills and language skills and cultural awareness to how they use the Internet, for instance. So, I'd say yes to computing in schools but not necessarily to "business computing" or "programming". Those are career track stuff.

Agreed on pretty much everything else you say, though. Schools should be about basic skills, not career-specific skills (save for occupational tracks in high school). It's just that I think computing, at least some facets of it, is now basic skills.

Mendalla

Is there anything that you think parents should teach their children?  Or is it up to the schools to teach them everything?

Certainly, Retiree… curiosity! If you can fill a kid with curiosity, she or she will discover all that he or she ever needs to know (and more), never be "bored", learn discernment and have a full and fulfilling life. Parents should be instilling this… and grandparents too! (This one is working at it with some success… my granddaughter is a spelling whizz, not because she rote-learns words but because she reads outside  the syllabus, ove her "level" and follows her own wide-ranging interests.)

Thank you Mike Patterson, and God bless her parents and grandparents.  It is a crime to "teach" children to be bored.  The world is too full of wonderful things to do and learn for any child to claim, "I'm bored'.   

toilet training and table manners, family values, relationship to others, their place in the family, kindness, compassion, taking turns, receiving and giving love, family customs, basic skills.  If the family is musical, they should be taught music.  If the family plays games together, they should be included in games (and learn the rules and skills required).  Swimming, bike riding.  How to find their way around the neighbourhood and city (in expanding circles).  Curiosity.  Listening skills.  Appreciation of literature.  Their language of origin, and any other languages the family speaks.  Good grooming and personal care.  Independance.

I know this fits somewhere - finances or life skills. How to fill out income tax forms, how to write resumes.How to dress for interviews,

I would like to see students in highschool at job fairs hear about other professions besides University - carpentry, cooking, etc. Everyone is not the same.

How to put on a condom properly.

Creativity, critical thinking, comparative religion.

I agree completely. They do have this thing called "Consumer Ed" which deals with the same sort of stuff. but they need to put more emphasis on it and start earlier and do it for longer. A couple different levels, elementary school and then high school.  Another thing I thought about was level one first aid.  It should be a graduation requirement. 

Comparative religion.  It would eventually take religiousity down another notch, as millions of young Canadians would learn just how arbitrary religious beliefs really are.

I find many reasons to admire seeler's list of things children can be taught at home by the parents.

I tried to teach my own children some of the skills identified in this thread - particularly the money handling things.  I was open about income and family expenses because I didn't want them to grow up thinking that electric lights were a  free gift from the electricity suppier.  I talked about the relative costs of various food items and why I chose the things I did.  I demonstrated frugality - mending things, shopping for 'used' items, using all the leftovers, growing an edible garden.  I used a charge card and regularly mentioned the types of things I charged (and why) and that I had enough money in the bank to pay the bill in full when it arrived. I tried to teach them the difference between a want and a need.

As far as I know none of these things were mentioned in school.

Observations now my kids are independent adults indicate that they are deeper in debt than we ever were.  That they see no problem with borrowing money to take a holiday at a resort somewhere (not on our agenda) .  They eat poorly and spend a lot of cash in order to do so. It was hard for me to leave them to deal with there own lives - but I think I've done fairly well.  One has started to work on paying off debts and has shared that he 'wants' a new truck but isn't going to get one until he has paid off some other things.  Yay!!

Values, I'd hope. To some extent life skills, though schools can help with that. Manners and general social skills. Any academic/career skills and knowledge that they possess and can pass on. My wife certainly helped our son get ahead in math and I've helped him with learning computers (though he's now ahead of me in some aspects of IT).

Actually, just read/re-read seeler's response. Her answer works for me.

Mendalla

I find some of the things mentioned here funny because some of it is being taught in schools, just not well it would seem.

Seeler, since grade 5 I was requried to do speeches at least once I year. We were graded not only on content but our ability to project etc.

This is taught,  in lower highscool grades but only in the life skills and applied classes. Both my roommate and her boyfriend are teaching some form of this in their math class rooms to grade 9 and 10 classes. However, if you take accademic math classes you never learn these things.

As to the resumes and interview skills, in grade 10 (at least in ontario) we need to take a civics and careers class. In civics you learn the govermental system and voting etc, in careers you learn basic resume, cover letter, and interview skills while also reserching where you might be interested in going (they do cover both university and other).

So it seems to me that certain things ARE offered, but you won't learn them if you don't take the course. They are not compulsory. Like, the academic classes not learning the practical aspects of math in life.

So that accounts for a lot of people with high intellect and academic achievement  but no bloody common sense.

children must be taught how to adapt to change, because what worked before won't necessarily work tomorrow

Finace/lifeskills are now covered in Both the BC and AB curriculum.

In AB it's called CALM career and Life management-it covers making a budget-what rent might be food etc, as well as career exploration. You put together a resume, go over interview skills etc.

In BC it is called Planning-again similar content. Suddenly my 16 year old is interested in how much I spend on groceries! LOL

Both courses are required to graduate or rather just one course-from the appropriate province!

excellent quote!  I reads something of the sort a little while ago.  The ones who will survive will not be necessarily the strongest or smartest, but the ones who can adapt.

i'm being quoted again *blush*

but yeah, and the rate of change is accelerating logarithmically

They used to teach this kind of thing. I can recall participating in an annual speech contest in middle school -- for which prep instruction would be given.

What I would like to see taught in schools is how to use a magic propeller. Those things can entertain for hours.

I was horrified to learn that my grandchildren didn't know how to make paper planes.  How were they going to annoy there teachers when they reached Junior High? 

Interesting thread Seeler.  I too find that many of the things listed were taught to my kids at some point in their formal - and informal - education, at school, at home, at church, at other community groups, on sports teams, etc. 

Taught, learned, but not necessarily applied  to daily life.   Because people don't do things the way we think they should, doesn't mean they weren't ever taught.  My son's poor application of table manners still irks me ...

That surprises me Kay! I'm not sure how old your grandchildren are, but the 5 year olds where I work love having paper airplane contests!

I believe the fine art of paper airplane creation was an underground skill, learned more by trial-and-error and observation, rather than as part of the school day.  And there are many, many ways to annoy Jr. Hi teachers... you just have to be a little creative....