Reintroduce home economics classes in schools because our children are lacking in basic life skills
School curricula have gradually evolved over generations to exclude life-skill education in favor of more and more advanced academic studies. It has created a significant gap in how Gen Z and Y deal with life in comparison to their more life-savvy Gen X and Baby Boomer counterparts.
Many areas of the country are now seeing the emergence of “adulting classes,” which makes us wonder if education is truly so advanced when graduates can’t sew a simple button on their pants.
How useful is today’s education?
Most millennials can recite Pythagoras’ Theorum and write a Hamlet essay, but they can’t unclog a toilet. A record number of people in this generation have high school diplomas, college degrees, and have passed AP exams. However, when it comes to life skills, the majority of millennials admit they are lacking.
A college mathematics professor recently had to broaden the scope of her course to include basic fundamentals because her students were unaware that purchasing a property entailed paying taxes on it. It’s a common theme among educators of all levels.
These educators aren’t the only ones who have noticed how inept this generation is at basic life skills. Many parents complain that the things their children are taught in school aren’t useful. The ability to solve a complex scientific or mathematical problem may be impressive at a NASA job interview, but it isn’t so useful for a college student trying to figure out how to wash their own clothes or cook their own meal.
Today, such skills are not taught in prep schools. Students are not taught the fundamentals of household management and the bare minimum of skills required to get through everyday life, let alone keep it in order. Few schools even offer such elective classes, and they are certainly no longer required for graduation.
Meanwhile, previous generations could take classes in sewing, gardening, laundry, nutrition, allied health, auto shop, woodworking, economics, and asset management. It’s no surprise that, according to CNBC, a growing number of millennials have no savings, eat the most pre-packaged foods, and have no idea how to change a tire or oil in their car.
Aside from home and asset management skills, this generation lacks the fundamental knowledge required to interact with humans and communities on a basic, face-to-face level. They understand how to download music, but because the vast majority of communication is technological, they have no idea how to hold a conversation for an interview.
Should the curriculum be restructured?
Home economics classes, for example, teach students how to cook, clean, budget, manage their time, prepare for job interviews, scale for preference, and even communicate with others. In essence, it prepares them to be adults on their own. Weaknesses and strengths are identified early on so that they can be addressed and strengthened before real-world stakes such as money, job opportunities, and relationships are at stake.
As a result, young adults are more informed, self-reliant, and confident, and they are better prepared to make financial, employment, health, and relationship decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives.
Academics are clearly important, but the educational system is clearly doing this generation a disservice by failing to provide the life-skills classes required to thrive in everyday life.
