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I understood what you said, but it didn't address what I said.
You do use Word and you do understand the system of what you use.
Not understanding something you don't even use should not be subject to disdain, which was my point.
Or do you differ on that point? Do you believe that people ought to be ridiculed for failing to understand anything they don't use?
You said that if someone doesn't use something there is no reason for it to be understood. My point was that even commonly used things are sometimes not understood.
They used to, but then again I was in school a while ago. In high school I had to take some life skills economics class and in junior high I somehow ended up in home econ... I still have the bag I had to sew (a Michigan Wolverines athletic bag).
Not understanding something because you don't actually have to use it is a very rational reason for not understanding something. It would be silly to not understand a system if you did have to use it.
And there are plenty of things in the universe I don't use and don't understand. Partial differential equations, for instance. And Papangan.
I was reading the thread titled "Job search education should be a requirement in school" when it dawned on me: Some of the courses taught in high school are not going to provide the average student with much he or she can really use in life. (Trig for example. Unless you end up working in one of the few fields which require those sort of calculations, really, what use is it?)
On the other hand, ALL students will eventually need to learn some basic skills in their lives-- everything from effectively seeking employment to understanding food labels. But unfortunately, most schools don't offer courses in these important things.
So I propose a mandatory class for all students called "Life Skills". I have here a brief outline of some of the main topics that could be part of the course study:
(first quarter), Learning to Work: creating resumes, applying/interviewing for a job, common job expectations, promotions, payroll issues, talking to your boss, work behavior, leaves of absence, jury duty, unemployment compensation, retirement...
(second quarter), Health Matters: nutrition, meal planning, reading food labels, coping with illness, family planning, parenting skills, understanding medical forms, basic OTC drugs, how to talk to your doctor, basic first aid...
(third quarter), The Business of Life: banking, applying for credit, life insurance, investing, bankrupcy, filing taxes, wills and estates, renting an apartment, mortgages,...
(fourth quarter), Safety & Maintenance: fire safety, emergency preparation, basic home maintenance, basic auto maintenance, CPR, home protection, basic self-defense techniques...
Granted, SOME of the topics listed might be covered in other classes, such as Home Economics, Shop, Health, Business, etc. But those kinds of classes are usually electives, not mandatory.
My proposal is that every student should be taught these basic skills of life. Think of all the advantages this would bring to each and every person as they begin to find their way through this big, complicated world of ours.
This list is just so much nonsense!!! These aren't "life skills" but rather the OP's manifesto of what he/she thinks adults lack. Well, guess what? Highschoolers are adolescents who will generally not pay attention and not learn these "life skills" any better than they learn English or math.
I know that this is going to come as a huge shock to you, but........
The rest of the world, outside of the USA, DOES use the metric system, in their everyday life.
I don't know about the temperature in Kelvin units, but right now in Toronto, where I live its minus 4 Celsius.
My point was simple, American high school grads are not able to use the universal measurement system that the rest of the world ( with the exception of Myanmar ) uses.
I see that as another example of the American concept of " If we didn't invent it, its worthless ".
Jim B.
They learn to use it if they have need of it regularly, so what's your point other than dissing Americans? I'm familiar with metric measures of volume, distance, and temperature because I live near the Canadian border and travel in Canada frequently.
Okay, I see the problem here is reading comprehension.
You said: "You said that if someone doesn't use something there is no reason for it to be understood."
I actually said: "Not understanding something because you don't actually have to use it is a very rational reason for not understanding something."
Apparently you're not grasping the difference between those two propositions.
I am certainly not denying that a person may have reasons to understand something he does not use. I understand a lot of things I never use.
I am saying that if a person does not use something, that is a valid reason for not understanding it.
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I still have the bag I had to sew (a Michigan Wolverines athletic bag). 
