"Life" class

By Faye
@FayeHazel (40248)
United States
October 29, 2017 12:05pm CST
I think there should be a required "Life" class in grade school, 1 in high school and 1 in college.  I think each class should deal with things that people of that age may need to know.  Grade school could be - dealing with bullies, understanding your parent's point of view, taking care of your toys so that they last a long time, and stuff like that.  High school could be - dealing with social pressures, saying "no" comfortably, classes about responsible use of credit, basic sewing, basic cooking and basic car repair.  (I don't know, some of these may be available in "home ec" classes - I was homeschooled.) College could simply be a continuation of the teen aged one.  How to talk to people going through tough times, more advanced cooking skills, home ownership vs. renting, etc...  What do you think?  Song that I like that has life (lifetime, rather) in the title. Just because.
The Official vid to In Our Lifetime by Texas
26 people like this
24 responses
• United States
29 Oct 17
I couldn''t agree more with you Faye. School should be about life, the stuff we need to know.
4 people like this
@dpk262006 (58675)
• Delhi, India
30 Oct 17
You already know about life, you do not need anything more, I believe.
2 people like this
• United States
30 Oct 17
@dpk262006 I surely learned for long years dpk haha
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Very true - should be about preparing you for adulthood
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
29 Oct 17
Yes, it would be a good idea, but most of those things should be taught by their parents. However I know that a lot of people don't have ideal parents.
4 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Very true... I know my folks are pretty good about it through the years, though sometimes they are coming from their "lens" or "views" which is fine too...
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
29 Oct 17
Sadly most high schools that i know of just teach the math, science, language arts, french/spanish, stuff. Not anything actually helpful like cooking or repairs etc. Which would definitely be good use.
2 people like this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
30 Oct 17
@FayeHazel my high school never had them. But one high school has classes for cooking, dentistry, mechanics, etc.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
@Courtlynn Wow -- I was homeschooled, so didn't know what all was offered in the public schools. That one school sounds pretty cool
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Is it true - Home ec class is a thing of the past? That's too bad. You need those skills in life as badly as the rest
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
29 Oct 17
Yes I agree! People need more confidence in those tender years of learning to be social.
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Very true there too
@Kandae11 (53679)
29 Oct 17
You have a point there. I also think there should be parenting school for young parents to be.
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Oh, that is an excellent point and idea
@YrNemo (20261)
30 Oct 17
I would love to know how to fix my car. (will go checking out 'Once in a lifetime' to see what is it!)
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
I fixed the link, finally. :-) It's a cool song from when I was a teen. :-) I love what basics I know of car repairs. I would like to learn more.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
@YrNemo Oh you are lucky that your brother is a mechanic -- maybe he would show you some basics :-)
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20261)
30 Oct 17
@FayeHazel I know not a thing about cars. My brother is a mechanic. I am in awe of him, perhaps that is why!
1 person likes this
@dpk262006 (58675)
• Delhi, India
30 Oct 17
It seems a good idea. I think in some of the institutions classes on moral education and general psychology are organised. However, having said that even if we are taught certain aspects of life, we do not fully learn till we experience it. Our practical experiences teach us a lot, rather than bookish knowledge.
1 person likes this
@dpk262006 (58675)
• Delhi, India
3 Nov 17
@FayeHazel Yes, nothing could beat our own experience.
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
That's true too - there is something to be said for experience
1 person likes this
@m_audrey6788 (58485)
• Germany
29 Oct 17
Not bad It can be helpful to kids while they are developing their social skills
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
So true!
1 person likes this
• Germany
30 Oct 17
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (48434)
• Mojave, California
29 Oct 17
I agree and they need to teach ethics with it also. Was that a class way back in the day? I am not sure, but something is clearly off in what we are teaching. All this money we throw at education and what ever we are doing seems to be getting worse, as people more and more seem not to know what life is about. They are teaching the corporate part of life for the most part and nothing else. What I see anyway. We live to work not work to live. When it should be the other way around. Why people are so miserable and just do nothing but fight one an another.
1 person likes this
• Mojave, California
30 Oct 17
@FayeHazel Thank You and kind of frustrates me a bit. All this talk about opiate addiction, but never people's other addictions like working to much and their addiction to greed. Could be just just as harmful or even more harmful with its impact on society. Mindset of those addictions makes many who do not hold positions of power lives miserable and why they choose to go to opiates to get through the day of never ending work to make other people rich.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Beautifully worded. I have often thought how that school shapes kids for the working world. Get up, go to school, bring homework home, go to bed, do it over again... Not that it's a bad thing, but work/life or school/life balance seems way out of whack. Ethics, yes! A great addition. Somewhere in there they should teach compassion and that money doesn't equate happy
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
30 Oct 17
I love "Once In A Lifetime " by Texas! She has such a deep beautiful voice! Sorry the link didn't work. Yes, school should have prepared us for so much more in life than it actually did.
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
3 Nov 17
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Very true, she has an awesome voice. I was happy to re-discover this song. I finally fixed the link. :-)
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
@bluesa Aw shucks, I had such trouble attaching that video too. Happy you were able to find it otherwise though ... awesome song
1 person likes this
@just4him (306354)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
29 Oct 17
Those are good suggestions for the age groups.
1 person likes this
@just4him (306354)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
30 Oct 17
@FayeHazel Definitely!
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Oh! I think I would like to add self confidence to the subjects covered
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
30 Oct 17
Many kids need to know how to interact with their peers. My son is very very smart but for a few years he wasn't so swift on interacting with his peers.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
1 Nov 17
@FayeHazel My mother in law was very quiet and hard to get to know, but she was an angel.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
@fishtiger58 Sometimes when you bare with quiet people they are quite rewarding to know :-)
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
That's a very good point too. People are hard sometimes, to interact with, etc.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
31 Oct 17
Texas! I saw them in Belgium!
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
2 Nov 17
@FayeHazel - They played at a day long festival that I went to.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
@teamfreak16 Nice! How were they live?
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
Ah Scott, you have seen the coolest bands.
1 person likes this
• Nairobi, Kenya
30 Oct 17
It is also a topic over here where it seems like parents would prefer to have the children at school rather than home. When the schools had to close early due to the elections you would see some parents wondering what they were going to do with such a long holiday. Those basic life principles would be more ideal and effective when gotten from the parents.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
It's true -- parents should be the ones to teach these things, though sometimes (car repairs, sewing - basics anyway) maybe they wouldn't know either... and like you mention sort of sad, seems like parents far prefer not spending time with their kids. I have often wondered at the young couples in my area who have large families. -- most often the kids go to day care, then pre-school, school... why did they want so many kids if they aren't spending time with them?
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
@chunchunwadaddy Excellent point there. Time management is one of things things that has always been a struggle for me.
• Nairobi, Kenya
31 Oct 17
@FayeHazel I would say with the current world time management is one of the major constraints.
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (6114)
• United Kingdom
29 Oct 17
As we are now in the age of the internet, I wonder if there is any need to go to school and be 'taught' by out of date teachers.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
Interesting thought. I know there are a few "online" schools now
@Chantiele (433)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
30 Oct 17
That is a good idea, however there are some discussions that parents should be having with their children
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
That's true too, in some cases I don't think the parents know some of the basic skills
@cahaya1983 (11121)
• Malaysia
2 Nov 17
I believe that the best life class always starts at home but it would also be useful to get input from experts in certain "life" fields. So I think having formal lessons about those subjects would be a great idea.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
True, I think also that most of these things should be taught at home, but sometimes it isn't. :-)
1 person likes this
@DianneN (246905)
• United States
31 Oct 17
It makes sense, but schools have academics to teach. These are parenting skills or home economics skills. However, much is done about bullying these days from elementary through high school.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
I do wish that more parents taught these things. Happy to hear that some places do have resources about bullying though, much needed
@JESSY3236 (18923)
• United States
30 Oct 17
I can't remember if our high school had home ec classes. I didn't take them when I was there. I agree about there should be one in grade school and college.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
2 Nov 17
So true, so many good life skills to learn as a teen, and then young adult. :-)
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Oct 17
These are all skills that young people need and, sadly, are sometimes not taught by their parents
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
30 Oct 17
So true. A lot of my peers didn't seem to have these skills shared with them by their parents. Mine were (and are) pretty good about that kind of thing, though I think I would have done better with a structured class... go figure could just be me
1 person likes this