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I have four adult children, all in their mid to early twenties. I taught all of them what I knew about finances -- something I have trouble with myself due to Dsycalculia - they're much better at it than I am -- cook, sew (yes, SEW!), find work, and *gasp!* survive in the really real world. I also taught them about safe sex and the responsibilities of parenthood (which is why I only have one grandchild).
They're not angels by any means, but they all live on their own as fully functioning members of society, and none of them needed a class to teach them how to be adults. It was my job as a parent to teach them these things. Why should teachers have to do it? Teachers didn't bring them into this world... Maybe I'm old fashioned. I dunno. But I figured if I took on the responsibility of having children, I should, at the very least, make sure that those children didn't turn out to be burdens on society. That task does not lie with the government or its systems - including the schools.
The problem, if the state of our adult society is any indication, seems to be that the parents don't know these basic things. So they have nothing to teach.
Wow. If kids are so unprepared for life that we have to teach some of those things in a school setting we are in a heap of trouble.
This is, in fact, the case, and yeah, we are in a heap of trouble.
That trouble is getting laid at the feet of the professional educators, however, rather than at the feet of the parents/guardians, the ones who should be educating on such topics, but are largely not, just as they are largely derelict in other duties that then get passed on to classroom teachers.
Why don't the parents teach these things?
a. because they don't know, themselves
b. because they do not or cannot make the time to do so
c. because they lack the inclination to do so
Or any combination thereof.
Maybe parents are "supposed" to teach life skills.
But if they don't, then what? Pay for it upfront, or pay for it later. You can either sink the money into educating kids, or you can pay for their lack of knowledge and ability further down the road and squawk about them being a drain on taxpayers.
The problem, if the state of our adult society is any indication, seems to be that the parents don't know these basic things. So they have nothing to teach.
Here's the thing. If the parents of all of these children do not know how to be contributing members of society, or do not know enough to teach their children how to be contributing members of society then how are they (the parents) living, functioning adults? SOMEONE has to be providing for these kids! I did it. I'm certain that other members of this forum are/were doing it. If no one knows how to live and work in society enough to teach their children how to be functional adults, then we wouldn't be having this conversation.
^^ I mean this as no slam on teachers, but teachers have their job, many of them haven't sought out a job in years, if not decades. Many propbably don't have an up-to-date resume themselves. (Nor do I b/c I am not job hunting.) Job hunting has changed since most of these teachers were hired, and it's different for every profession. Schools don't hang out "Help Wanted" signs the way fast food joints do, for example. Not all teachers are skilled at all the topics proposed.
We have discussed teaching "personal finance" many times. Just whose values would we use? The teacher's? What if said teacher was one of these people who thinks that "you have to have credit to get credit" means maxing out your credit cards regualarly? I'm not saying all do, but I'm sure a certain percentage do, just as a certain percentage of the general population do. And so on.
I disagree that parents aren't teaching their kids these things. I think that is an unfounded assumption underlying the "need" for this so-called course.
Here's the thing. If the parents of all of these children do not know how to be contributing members of society, or do not know enough to teach their children how to be contributing members of society then how are they (the parents) living, functioning adults? SOMEONE has to be providing for these kids!
Because "they" at the top, the ones that generally-speaking authored and chose the curriculum are Marxists, and they, being "change agents" are too busy indoctrinating to teach life-skills. They need and want our younger generations to be dependent upon government as "mama, from cradle to grave." Therefore, to teach these skills would defeat their agenda.
^^ I mean this as no slam on teachers, but teachers have their job, many of them haven't sought out a job in years, if not decades. Many propbably don't have an up-to-date resume themselves. (Nor do I b/c I am not job hunting.) Job hunting has changed since most of these teachers were hired, and it's different for every profession. Schools don't hang out "Help Wanted" signs the way fast food joints do, for example. Not all teachers are skilled at all the topics proposed.
Nearly every teacher at my school is in his or her twenties/early thirties. The school itself is under a decade old. I am at the "old" end of the spectrum at 34. Our administrator is 34. All of us are intimately familiar with the current job market and how to write a resume. I'm working on resumes right now with my job skills class, while concurrently taking them on job shadowing opportunities.
Nearly every teacher at my school is in his or her twenties/early thirties. The school itself is under a decade old. I am at the "old" end of the spectrum at 34. Our administrator is 34. All of us are intimately familiar with the current job market and how to write a resume. I'm working on resumes right now with my job skills class, while concurrently taking them on job shadowing opportunities.
That is certainly not the case in every high school in the US, or even the majority of them. My daughter was a freshman in a new high school that opened that year. Still, many of her teachers were older teachers from elsewhere in the district who transferred. It doesn't really matter and if you haven't looked for a job in five years. After I posted about this, I opened my Denver Post and it has an article about how job hunting has changed, things aren't what they used to be. If you are currently teaching such a class, I would guess that you are up on the latest trends.
Your attitude towards parents could use some improvement.
I learned that all from my parents and, quite frankly, it was a struggle in high school to get all the courses I wanted to take that my parents could NOT teach me (Spanish, French, music, plus the 4 core requirements) without being made to sit through a waste of a class.
Make it an elective. Heck, make kids have to pass a test to be exempted. Don't punish those of us who were either taught by parents or self taught.
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