To think schools should have a class to teach basic life skills

[beesandstrawberries]

We all learned so much in school that we haven’t used in day to day life - I mean when have we ever touched a Bunsen burner since school? But none of us was learned the basics of life and how to navigate it - things like:

• Showing how to do basic meals, cooking pasta safety, use of kitchen appliances correctly
• paying bills
• what a mortgage is, how to deal with contracts and paperwork
• how to meter readings
• change a lightbulb, basic tool use in the home
• how to check fire alarms
• credit card education
• managing money, spreadsheets to manage them
• insurances like life insurance and what ones you need
• education on abusive relationship signs
• things like peer pressure
• how to write formal letters/emails

I think we learn so many things that mean nothing when we leave school. If you teach kids basic life skills from a young age, it would make kids a lot more well rounded and less anxious in the ‘real world’ when it comes to managing money and not getting in debt. Even learning things like the warning signs of abusive relationships to young and impressionable teens as I think if I heard the signs then, I would have know what to look out for to prevent myself from getting in one as an adult.

I remember being in the real world and not knowing how to have good money management and I’m 28 and have no idea how to change a lightbulb. Even education for kids to learn about their bodies, that their outie bellybutton is normal and so are their stretch marks - so they don’t go into adulthood thinking their bodies are imperfect.

Children deserve more than Shakespeare or how to play football in pe. They deserve a kick start to life

Or parents could do it.

This is what parents are for. HTH.

So what do you think parents should do?

And at 28 if you can’t work out how to change a lightbulb (hint, google it) then the problem is not the school you went to.

All things that decent parents teach at home.

I absolutely agree with you that children need to have those skills and knowledge to become competent adults. However, families rather than teachers would be better placed to help children develop them.

Parents should but many don't. In some cases because they lack some of the skills.

That’s a parents job.

Parents are the primary educators

From your list:

Cooking - home ec / food tech generally covers some basics.
Paying bills - uses maths skills. Generally some
of the scenarios are bills. The exact mechanism changes over time, but the maths doesn’t.
Formal letters - English
Peer pressure / relationship stuff - the latest label for what used to be Sex Education.

"HTH" it's just so cunty and passive aggressive isn't it?

Do you think all adults could teach maths or English? So why do you think they'd all have the knowledge to explain mortgages or electricity or to avoid abusive relationships which they could be in themselves.

Most of those are taught in school at some point. They are also not difficult. You may not personally have used a Bunsen burner, but plenty of us owe scientific advances to those who did go on to do those things for example.

Do kids in England not have compulsory home economics (often called life skills now) classes in 1st & 2nd year?

What shouldn't the school be responsible for?

Parents are allowed to raise and teach their children general life skills...

School is for academic subjects and qualifications. Parents are there to teach their kids about life.

some Of this is taught.

cooking/home ec is done in most secondaries but usually on a rotation with woodwork/textiles etc. so it doesn’t get much time. It is possible in some schools to choose catering for gcse.

it’s also expensive for schools to provide.

peer pressure etc is covered in pshe fucking endlessly, doesn’t stop teens doing stupid things.

basic interest and savings is on the maths curriculum and questions are asked on the maths gcse most years.

As others have said, generally parents should be responsible for that sort of thing. As it happens, schools do teach a fair bit of it though. .

I'm almost 70 but I remember having lessons on how to write an application for a job. How to apply for and manage a bank account etc

So a parent that loves their children and cares for them but struggles with financial basics is not a decent parent?

We have YouTube videos, Google and Martin Lewis etc for all of that. In PHSE (or whatever it is called these days) DA/V/EA etc should be covered. To make up for bad parenting. I'd say that University and the funding should be covered.

Far more people use a credit card than a bunsen burner though.

Lots of parents think they can given the rise in home education don’t they?
Teachers are now potty training, teaching kids to use a knife and fork, helping them put their coat on etc. Teachers are meant to teach, parents should teach life skills.

Um, that's parenting ?

How can you not change a lightbulb?!?!

unscrew the old one.
screw the new one in.

Op some is definitely covered but personally I'd be far happier with RE being dropped for anything that's been missed. Complete waste of time. If you want to learn about religion that's what churches/mosques etc are there for.