AIBU to say they should NOT teach it in schools

[Calvinlookingforhobbs]

‘It’ being any problem that appears in our society... budgeting for adults, healthy eating, parenting skills, contraception, gardening, etc surely education and parenting are different?

Hmm ... are you thinking of specialist teachers being available to do these things? Or do you want it done by form tutors?

Because, if it's the latter ... well, teachers are (often) parents. Many parents don't have these skills. Ergo, many (or some) teachers won't either.

Tell me to stage a full scale all singing, all dancing musical production with 80 children - no problem. Tell me to teach critical analysis of metaphysical poetry - also no problem. But gardening, cookery or finance - not a hope in hell. I've never kept a plant alive in my life, my cooking skills are basic beyond belief, I have zero knowledge of mortgages or debt management and I'm fairly appalling at maths. Parenting skills - hmmm, maybe. I mean, I could teach my own parenting. But other parents might not agree with my methods. And then you get complaints.

I don't know, I think that once you get teachers to teach things that should be (and in the majority of cases are being) taught at home, you run into all kinds of school vs home dilemmas.

While there is a place for some 'non academic' stuff in schools (eg 1st Aid), arf at the idea that shoehorning ever more stuff-your-parents-should-have-taught-you is going to level the playing field.

No, if you do that then schools will start to separate into ones that assume that parents play some part in raising their own kids, and ones that don't. The parents that are involved in their DCs' lives are hardly going to want to send them to a school where a) DC are bored out of their minds learning stuff they've known for years and b) this happens at the expense of academic learning. Cue stratification between schools where you have a shot at getting into university, and ones where you get an NVQ in making a sandwich.

Yes that's a great idea - let's have a two tier system where some get taught "life skills" and then others get taught actual subjects and go on to university.

Oh hang on.....

I wish the push towards electronic money in the form of a fingerprint was replaced by actual money. Then children have day to day budgeting practise buying their lunch. Mine has no idea what her lunch costs...

Headofthehive55 excellent point, I had never considered the impact that would have in taking actual money (responsibility, mental maths etc) away from kids

Is there not home economics classes in the UK? In Ireland, there is, you can take it as an elective in secondary school - Budgeting, health, cooking etc all covered in it - not extensively but I retained some of what I learned back when

You could have a purse and give money to last the weeks dinners..child can actually see what's spent and what's left. Instead child flashes thumb at a scanner...no opportunity to set a limit....they don't need to think.

Not every parent would though

Oh no that's fine elocution. Not that current 11+ is fair, but there is a lot of stress getting the right tutor for Tarquinius. Not to mention the horror if some extremely bright peasant child gets in before Tarquinius because they're on pp.

This could be even better for the mc than selection by postcode, keep the nc for naice mc kids and relegate the rest to life skills school.

Maybe entry criteria could be done with points for proof of purchase at waitrose.

I'd probably done better with these subjects than sin tan and cos , when did anybody need that in day to day life

You could have a purse and give money to last the weeks dinners

Nope - all cashless tills

Even visitors can't buy a bottle of water -

The purpose of education cannot be limited to preparing children for everyday life. It has to give them the tools to reach their full potential and not limit them!

The minute education simply aims to get you around Tesco's with enough money in your purse and to aged 20 without getting knocked up, all is lost.

Whenever I see 'that should be taught in schools' , I think it already is. Sex education, healthy eating, budgeting etc are all things that I have covered as a form tutor.

I work in a Reception class and you wouldn't believe the number of parents who have said to me "oh but that's school's job" over the years.

I believe very strongly that the majority of education - both formal and life skills - comes from home. But I also understand through my work that for many families they don't have time or energy or even the understanding to teach many things at home, which is where schools bridge the gap. If we don't tackle 'bigger' topics those gaps could go with a child into adulthood. It's more a case of "where in y day can I fit x, y and z" because I simply run out of time to fit in everything I'd like to teach.

and how about taking Food Tech as a subject?

Because it doesn't teach useful cooking skills like feeding a family on a budget etc? We've had ingredients lists costing £7 before now and that is unaffordable. Also, do children really need to learn to make pizza and cakes at school?

I told/will be telling my children to drop FT as soon as possible because they can already cook and it's cheaper and healthier for me to teach them.

I am 38 and we were taught a lot of these things at primary school! I remember being given a budget and asked to select things from a catalogue to furnish a house, for a holiday etc. We spent a few hours every week doing the school garden, were taught about balanced diets etc. I'm not sure anything has changed!

The problem is there are a lot of parents who don't teach these basic skills and so they often are left to teachers.

Couldn't disagree more OP.

The problem is there are a lot of parents who don't teach these basic skills and so they often are left to teachers

Like toilet training
Using a knife a fork
Using scissors
Tying laces
Using manners
Listening and speaking skills

Endless list really

The problem is there are a lot of parents who don't teach these basic skills and so they often are left to teachers.

Indeed, but where does the time come from to teach these things? You can't teach 30 children how to tie their laces because their parents can't be bothered or it simply hasn't occurred to them that children don't learn by osmosis.

Parents would be up in arms (well the decent ones would) if their children were to have an hour long cookery lesson, then citizenship lessons, a spot of gardening and then squeezing in a bit of maths and English if there was time.

I thought school was meant to prepare you for life?

Along with your parents of course but they can only teach you their views and what they've learned, school is to help you learn new perspectives and encourage you to find new ways to think and eventually to think for yourself? No?

I love the way that some people are suggesting that a quick half hour in PSHCE on a subject...job done. You can teach it, but most will need more than a 30 minute lesson to remember and use it. Whatever you think ‘it’ is. Acquiring knowledge or a skill takes practise as well as the initial input. The idea used to be, teach someone to read and they have the skill to unlock cookery, healthy eating and whatever other knowledge they require. What many adults lack is not the capacity but the inclination to find things out for themselves that don’t interest them directly. But that is a necessary adult skill.

I assume you’re being sarcastic!