If you were to ask me about my high school experience, I could easily list off a variety of memorable lessons. For instance, I learned quickly to avoid drawing anything inappropriate during study hall. I also discovered that cafeteria staff have very little patience for requests like “salad, no lettuce.” And let’s not forget that accumulating three tardy slips earns you an instant detention. Oh, and my history teacher was surprisingly understanding when I needed to leave class for “female issues.”
But when I think about the core academic skills I supposedly gained, my recollection becomes rather fuzzy. I certainly wouldn’t be able to solve an algebraic equation even if it would land me a hefty cash prize and a date with a celebrity. My memories of dissecting a frog are mostly clouded by the lingering scent of formaldehyde. And while I can still manage to ask “who farted?” in Spanish, conjugating verbs is a different story altogether.
Despite somehow graduating and snagging a college scholarship, I emerged from high school feeling woefully unprepared for the realities of adult life. Sure, there were a few nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout health and home economics classes (like the importance of using protection or turning off the oven), but given the multitude of adult responsibilities awaiting us post-graduation, I can’t help but think we needed more practical life skills. Here’s a list of things I really wish I had learned:
Cooking Basics
In seventh-grade home economics, we might have whipped up a batch of brownies and some soup, but then it was on to sewing pillows—a skill that has been utterly useless to me as an adult. While I did master the fine art of preparing instant ramen noodles in my college dorm, navigating a full kitchen took me a while. The early years of my marriage were spent cooking dry chicken and Rice-A-Roni. To those I invited over for dinner back then: my sincerest apologies. I promise I can cook now—sort of.
Understanding Nutrition
A class titled “You’ll Regret Eating All That Taco Bell After 30” would have been incredibly beneficial. Sure, we learned about the food pyramid, but a realistic, comprehensive understanding of how our eating habits impact our health and weight would have been invaluable.
Home and Auto Maintenance
I always dreamed of owning a house and a car, but I never considered that they would require upkeep. Basic skills like oil changes, tire rotations, and even plumbing knowledge would have been lifesavers.
Sewing Skills
Speaking of fixing things, I wish I had acquired more sewing knowledge. Yes, I managed to sew a pillow in school, but practical skills like mending missing buttons or repairing beloved stuffed animals would have been much more useful. If only I had learned how to hem properly, my son’s first Halloween costume wouldn’t have turned into a hilariously oversized disaster.
Laundry Mastery
In my teenage years, laundry was a breeze; I simply handed my clothes to my mom. Now, as the one managing laundry for a family of six, I’ve learned through countless mistakes that there’s a lot more to it than just tossing clothes into the washer. Knowing what shrinks, what bleeds, and how to tackle stubborn stains would have saved me a ton of money.
Financial Literacy
We had a brief unit on balancing a checkbook, and that was pretty much it. Today’s students probably learn a bit more, but it still likely falls short of preparing them for the financial realities of adulthood. A course on building and maintaining credit, investing, and even understanding taxes would have been incredibly useful.
Budgeting Skills
Let’s face it: financial struggles are almost a rite of passage during young adulthood. Learning how to stretch a dollar, along with tips from extreme couponing experts or alternative income ideas like selling unused items, would have been a fantastic addition to the curriculum.
Effective Communication
We spend so much of our time interacting with others—whether it’s coworkers, bosses, or even our kids’ teachers. A class focused on effective communication could have been a game changer. I’ve never been the most socially adept person, so learning how to negotiate or connect with people could have made a significant difference.
I sometimes wonder if I had been offered these types of classes in high school, I would have been better prepared for adulthood. However, knowing my teenage self, I probably would have zoned out, only retaining enough information to pass. Let’s be real: teenagers often think they’re invincible, with no need for skills that seem years away. Instead, I was preoccupied with doodling in class.
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In summary, high school was definitely an experience filled with valuable lessons, but many of the essential skills for adulthood went unaddressed. If only we could have swapped out some of those classes for lessons that actually prepare us for life after graduation.
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