Life Skills Needed, yet Rarely Taught!

Life Skills are something our school systems aren’t always great at adding into their curriculum’s for there students. Yet, with most parents working full time jobs, or just purely occupied with all that life has to throw their way these days, many parents don’t have the time to teach their youngsters key life skills that will make their teen and adult lives easier.  Here are a few Life Skills that are greatly needed, yet rarely taught in schools. What do you think we have missed?  Please share your ideas in our comment area. Thanks ahead of time.

How to Be okay with Failure and taking risks!

Learning from failure regardless of what your parents told you in  life is hard.  There’s a modern trend in schools and sports that supports avoiding inequality, and worse how some kids are better than another kid at a sport or spelling etc.

The consequence, our kids aren’t learning about competition, or how to take failure.  We must ask ourselves, is every child’s sense of self-confidence to be protected from failure?  At this time, kids are not being told when their efforts are substandard in schools, or even by coaches.  Authority figures tiptoe around offering students constructive feedback on where they need improvement to keep up or be at a higher level.

The problem with this is that there’s no such atmosphere in general society for those that aren’t performing to expectations.  No-one thinks you’re special; no one prioritizes your well-being or self-esteem above their own in the real world. When there is no benefit to trying harder and failing.  When you just have to get by in school and consequences are few and far between, that leaves a disconnect between school and society.

That is, substandard work results end in negative consequences, such as losing your job.  One could argue, this lack of “failure experience” has a tendency to make children mediocre, fearful of taking risks, and quite frankly, sends them into the world incapable of navigating life’s inevitable ups and downs.

How to Cook food, and healthy food to boot!

Cooking! I can say this from my own personal experience having had a very bright and helpful part time nanny in to help that our school system in central Canada does need more focus on Home Ec., and cooking!  When I asked her if she learned the basics of cooking and baking in school, she said no.  When I was in school we baked many different treats and learned about basic cooking techniques.  Learning those basic cooking skills have benefited me and even my kids too.

Then there is that idea around eating healthy and being healthy.  You are what you eat holds a lot of truth to it.  Many people these days eat processed and take-out foods.  I know it is not just because they can’t cook very well at home, but it does have a large impact.  It’s no wonder why the rate of Heart Disease and Diabetes is that much higher today than it was in the past. We used to cook at home with real ingredients and dishes were controlled.

That is, portion sizes were commiserated with one’s appetite and the food was generally healthier when home cooking was involved. Not to mention, cooking at home saves money. It is time to bring Home Economics back in and get the love of cooking going again to help create a healthier society.

How to Find a Job and What to Expect in the Work force.

Ever wonder why we don’t focus on what jobs are about?  Why isn’t a job the goal of an education? Upon further thought, education should consider 3 things. 1. to learn for the sake of learning.  That being self-development, 2. What entrepreneurship would be like and what it involves. 3. How to prepare you to enter the workforce and become a self-sufficient contributing member of society if entrepreneurship is not for you.

Then there is this thing to consider that even if we learn the skills for a job, does school actually  teach you how to get that job?

Things like writing a cover letter, resume, the interview process, and employment contracts are important to your future.  Do schools really go through what questions are most readily asked in an interview, or what responses are best accepted?

What have we missed?  Thanks for stopping in.