Public Schools and Life Skills Education

Young people often drop out or settle for a high school diploma. $250 a week sounds like a fortune. Their first paycheck is an eye opener. It isn’t the gross pay they expected. It is only what is left after Uncle Sam, Aunt State, and other required deductions are taken. It is only a matter of months before they learn that there often isn’t enough to cover even the necessities like rent, utilities, food, and clothing. By then, it’s often too late. They are caught in the endless circle of poverty with no way out. Their perspective is limited, and they can’t see that education is the key. Children further complicate the problem.

Before they leave our high schools, I would like to see all students taught how to balance a budget, determine net salary, spend their money more wisely, make purchases intelligently, and plan for their future. They need to learn how to handle their financial lives before they have any chance of handling their emotional and private lives.

While they do exist, even more schools need to include classes that will show young people how expensive children are both financially and physically. A young friend of mine is taking a class like that. He was complaining because he has to check on his egg every hour that he is awake. His mother told him that he is getting off lucky. You can’t take your eyes off your children for a moment, and they haven’t a clue that night is supposed to be for sleeping.

I think the question comes down to what kind of world we want for our children. If we want it to better for them than it was for us, we need to teach them the skills they need to live in the world we have created. We’re going to have to figure out how to do it.

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