What is a class you would add to the curriculum for ALL students? (bullying, insurance)

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Isn't this already required in all schools nation-wide? When I was in school, they called it "Civics", and it was a state requirement, along with a course in US history.

Civics was required in middle school. Hopefully it still is. My kids have long since been out of school so I'm unsure now.


History and government are taught in high school, but these are electives. They are required in grade school and middle school.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

In my high school critical thinking was strongly embedded in such classes as world history and US history. We also had a required class called "Modern Problems" which is probably also known as Civics. In those classes we learned and debated. Maybe I didn't have much input back in those days but I learned a lot just by listening to the classroom debates. Especially I remember one kid who went on to become a lawyer--he always had an opinion on matters and he defended his opinions really well. That class was actually exciting!

I think we even learned critical thinking in English class when we discussed works of literature. Emphasis in school was always on learning to think and to figure things out, not on rote memory that much.

Yes, I very much agree. We embedded critical thinking skills into our core classes. In fact I would say that critical thinking is now the emphasis, rather than rote memorization.

I often think back to my American history teacher in high school. We had to memorize troop movements in Civil War battles, and even though I like and liked history, I always thought...so what?

But I often found that parents sometimes got nervous about critical thinking, but not about rote memorization. I used to teach earth science, so evolution was part of the curriculum. For 12 years I taught it the same way, with a test at the end. In my last year of teaching I did something different -- at the end of the unit, they had to write an essay -- "Why I Believe In Evolution" or "Why I Don't Believe In Evolution". There was no grade given. It didn't matter which side of the issue the student came done on. Everyone just got a "completion" checked off. That was year I got the complaints, with several parents literally saying, "I don't my child to think!"

[Geek2017]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

This, first and foremost. The behavior and disrespect are appalling. They need to sit still, keep quiet, and learn to listen. Nothing can be learned until a person can settle down and concentrate.

Personal finance--we had enough of that in 7th grade and it just took less than a week. I can still remember what they taught us about interest rates, loans, mortgages, credit, etc. It's pretty basic, doesn't require an entire course, but needs to be taught.

But civics and history should be brought back if they're gone. Learn about our country and its government.
These kids will be our future leaders or at least our future voters.

Lastly, grammar. People don't take someone seriously if the person can't compose a sentence. If a person writes, "The vote is their's" or "he should of done that", there goes his credibility. At the very least, learn how to leave the apostrophe out unless it's needed.

Exactly! I'm for all four of those! And make grammar/spelling a requirement throughout high school. The heck with the literature; that should be an elective SEPARATE from English class. I would also add a home repairs class. It would teach kids how to make basic home repairs, including electrical and plumbing, and do them to code. I would also make music mandatory, so they can learn to appreciate REAL music, and realize that there is a lot more than just the rubbish they hear on mainstream radio and TV.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

...But I often found that parents sometimes got nervous about critical thinking, but not about rote memorization. I used to teach earth science, so evolution was part of the curriculum. For 12 years I taught it the same way, with a test at the end. In my last year of teaching I did something different -- at the end of the unit, they had to write an essay -- "Why I Believe In Evolution" or "Why I Don't Believe In Evolution". There was no grade given. It didn't matter which side of the issue the student came done on. Everyone just got a "completion" checked off. That was year I got the complaints, with several parents literally saying, "I don't my child to think!"

Wow. They HAVE to learn to think. How else can you get through life? You need to be able to make decisions and to think things through.

I do wish we had learned a little bit more by rote instead of just learning to think. I memorized a few things on my own, like parts of The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, a few little poems--it's nice to have a few things at hand rather than having to look them up. We were always told that we could just look things up and that we didn't have to memorize anything!

One thought provoking assignment that I will never forget was in 7th grade science. The topic was "Photosynthesis Fails." Me, being me, I couldn't really come up with very much, but some kids wrote fabulous essays about the end of the earth, of life. In 8th grade world history we had to write an essay called, "Hitler Lived." (I didn't do too well on that one either, lol.) Then, in high school, we had to write an essay debating who really wrote Shakespeare's plays. These projects were designed to make us THINK--(which I more or less learned from classroom discussions but some kids learned better from the essays.)

[Sand&Salt]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Graduation requirement where I grew up still requires a year of consumer economics. Among items covered are:

-checkbook balancing (even in the age of people just checking their balances online)
-basic cost accounting
-calculating interest
-budgeting basics
-very basic insurance information (though auto insurance specifics are covered in driver ed)
-various mock-scenario activities such as working with a group of "roommates" with assigned "salaries" to use apartment listings to determine an apartment you can collectively afford and set a budget that will allow you to meet different scenarios, etc.
-practice filling out various tax forms
-practice filling out job applications and writing cover letters and resumes
-mock job interviews and writing thank you notes afterward

Man! GOOD for your school system! I wish I'd had even ONE of those courses! Along those lines would be various mortgage scenarios. When I bought my first house at age 22, I had no idea there were other kinds of mortgages than the 30-year one that paid ALL interest first. After 10 years---ZERO to principle.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

Wow. They HAVE to learn to think. How else can you get through life? You need to be able to make decisions and to think things through.

I do wish we had learned a little bit more by rote instead of just learning to think. I memorized a few things on my own, like parts of The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, a few little poems--it's nice to have a few things at hand rather than having to look them up. We were always told that we could just look things up and that we didn't have to memorize anything!

One thought provoking assignment that I will never forget was in 7th grade science. The topic was "Photosynthesis Fails." Me, being me, I couldn't really come up with very much, but some kids wrote fabulous essays about the end of the earth, of life. In 8th grade world history we had to write an essay called, "Hitler Lived." (I didn't do too well on that one either, lol.) Then, in high school, we had to write an essay debating who really wrote Shakespeare's plays. These projects were designed to make us THINK--(which I more or less learned from classroom discussions but some kids learned better from the essays.)

I think there's a place for both rote memorization and critical thinking.

But I would hope that when it comes to rote memorization that it's used sparingly. I think the times tables are worthwhile.

[Waterdragon8212]

I'd like to see a required course in the genre of stress management/mental health awareness/coping strategies. We tend to say "oh, that's the parent's job", but there are far too many kids whose parents are unable to provide in this area. Not to mention, many clueless parents who think their kids are fine, but they are really struggling. Plus, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure . The rates of bullying, aggression in schools, teen suicide, cutting, and other various issues are on the rise and I wish schools did a better job at addressing them. I know it's aspirational and unlikely to happen, but the content of such a course (if designed well) could really add to a kid's knowledge base in a profound and meaningful way.

[blktoptrvl]

Civics!!!

"Civics is the study of the theoretical and practical aspects of citizenship, its rights and duties; the duties of citizens to each other as members of a political body and to the government."


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civics

[history nerd]

Originally Posted by jmgg

I would love a required semester IN HIGH SCHOOL of American History/Government. Curriculum to be based on the historical development of how our government was formed and then leading to how our government is designed and "supposed" to work. These kids should have taken a course in middle school on Civics already giving them some background. Unfortunately, I understand that even middle school Civics has also gone the way of the dodo bird in many if not most of our schools.


The lack of knowledge in the country on this, especially with our younger people, is appalling.

I'm fairly sure this is a thing in most places.

[CGab]

Originally Posted by Metaphysique

Philosophy/logic and religious studies.

Religious studies such as the different types of religions would never be taught at a public school; however, the study of cultural differences is. A class on different religions is taught as a college class if one wants to take it.