What do you think are Living Skills?

[bleedingheart]

I was reading that post about the kid that brought a rabbit and a guinea pig to class to cook as his demonstration of a living skill and I started to wonder....

When I was in high school, we took an aptitude test to determine if we had "living skill". We were asked to fill out a check, balance some figures, and make decisions about purchasing based on the amount of income the test said we were earning. Those kids who couldn't pass this test had to take a 6 week class in living skills so that when they graduated they would have at least some inkling about how to get along in the world.

I didn't have to take the class but a very odd mix of kids had to take it. Kids from poor as well as wealthy families didn't have a clue as to how to handle basic situations.

So what are some important living skills that you think our young people should have? These skills can be taught in school but generally I think it is the responsibility of the parents/guardians.


Mine...(in no particular order)

1. No matter the individual, simple math skills are necessary. If you can't add, subtract, multiply or divide you are screwed.
2. Budgeting skills, (number 1 necessary for this)
3. Functional literacy. There are many people who can read but can't understand what the hell they are reading.
...I could go on...but what do you think ?

[amazona]

1. I'm with you

When I was in high school "living skills" was a class in personal finance. It wasn't about catching and eating your kill. Not that there's anything wrong with that but I just can't see that being part of the usual high school curriculum.

I don't think teaching math and reading is the job of parents. This is the job of the elementary school teacher. If the kid hasn't learned the basics by the end of 3rd grade, then it isn't clear to me that the problem could be handled by amateurs, because it seems it would be signs of a learning disability. I mean come on -- basic arithmetic, basic words to be able to follow street signs or order off a menu -- you either know all that by age 9 or you've got serious issues, right? The school system is going to need to have an expert deal with that.

I think of "living skills" as taught by parents things like how to drive, how to cook, basic hygiene, don't hit your little brother, you know, stuff like that.

But "living skills" at high school level is personal finance and those stupid fake babies that kids are now forced to carry around all day.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[bleedingheart]

2. but it is the job of the parents to make sure the kids are getting it

when it comes to the math and reading skills. Sadly there are many kids who just barely pass from grade to grade and the parents are just happy because they move on.
My cousin's eldest son is functionally illiterate. He can read some but he made it all the way to 12th grade and dropped out. I have to say that my cousin was to blame more than the teachers. He managed to get by and when his teachers requested that he be held back or even receive an IEP my cousin actually refused because of the supposed "stigma" of going to special education classes.

[bobweaver]

3. Not letting your desire control you

[bleedingheart]

4. that's one that can be applied to many things

and a very important lesson....

[yella_dawg]

5. According to Robert Heinlein...

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, command a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly."

Good start, anyway.

[Ms Chicklet]

6. Living skills

1. Financial skills. This includes creating a budget, knowing how to budget, consumer savviness, how to use credit smartly and investing.

2. Food and cooking. This includes learning how to stock a pantry, grocery shop, clip coupons (make a game of saving money), and cooking techniques (boiling, baking, roasting, broiling, etc.).

3. Domestic skills. Everyone gets Cheryl Mendelson's "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House" to keep as a reference. Topics covered include: cleaning, laundry, basic sewing (buttons, hemming, torn seams, etc.), and basic home knowledge and tool use.

4. Personal care. Think nutrition, hygiene, basic health, first aid and CPR.

I'd imagine this starting in seventh grade with the most basic areas of each subject, then getting more advanced each year.