Equipping Students To Survive and Thrive in Adulthood

Students need real-world skills in addition to book knowledge

Students in the state of Florida are required to take one credit in U.S. history and half a credit in U.S. government before graduating from high school. In addition to this, a new law requires that “Beginning with the 2021–2022 school year, students taking the United States Government course are required to take the assessment of civic literacy identified by the State Board of Education..” (fldoe.org) The assessment includes the following components:

• Understanding of the basic principles and practices of American democracy and how they are applied in our republican form of government

• Understanding of the United States Constitution and its application

• Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of our institutions of self-government

• Understanding of landmark Supreme Court cases, landmark legislation, and landmark executive actions and their impact on law and society

While this is a noble endeavor, it still doesn’t address the fact that while students are graduating with book and head knowledge, we are sending them out into the world without the basic skills and practical knowledge required to survive and thrive in the “real” world beyond high school. And yes, it is beholden on the parents to teach their children basic skills that will allow them to function in the world, but what about those being raised in the foster care system or in group homes? What about those in dysfunctional homes or struggling homes where the parents themselves are still trying to learn how to function and survive in America? What about those being raised in abusive homes where the parents don’t care about sowing into their children’s lives? We cannot assume that all students receive basic life-skills education at home, and we cannot presume to know the state of each student’s home and family life.

As a remedy, I propose that each student in the state of Florida should complete a one-semester life skills class in 11th or 12th grade as part of their graduation requirements. The class should be titled: “Life Skills- How to Survive and Thrive in America”. Students would have the option to complete this course online or in person, and it should include the following essential modules:

Money & Realty · How credit scores work · How co-signing works · How interest rates work · Buying v leasing a car · How a mortgage works · How an apartment/house lease works · Opening a bank account (bank v credit union) · Budgeting your money · How retirement savings work · How to file taxes Civic Duty · How voting works · Registering to vote · Who appears on a ballot during midterms v general elections · How primary elections work (closed v open primaries) · How jury duty works Employment · How to write a resume and cover letter · Job interview skills · Health insurance basics (premiums, deductibles, copayments) · How to start a business

This course should go into enough detail on each topic to arm students with sufficient knowledge to be able to survive and thrive once launched into adulthood.

Some would argue that students already gain some of these skills in the one-semester economics and US government classes that are already graduation requirements in Florida. However, the U.S. government class is usually taken in 9th grade, but most students become eligible to vote during their senior year. Do they even remember the information they learned? Also, while that class does a great job of teaching the history of the three branches of government, etc., and is very much aligned with the civics assessment detailed above, I have found that students voting for the first time in 12th grade are pretty clueless about the practical elements of voting, including registering to vote, who appears on their ballot (besides the president, governor, senate, congress), and how to research the candidates. The economics course is usually taken in 12th grade, and while my own children walked away from this course with impressive knowledge of how the stock market works, this didn’t necessarily translate over to practical skills such as budgeting your paycheck and filing taxes.

The idea of a life skills course is not a new concept. Over the years, my fellow teachers and I have often discussed this topic during our many laments about the current state of the curriculum in our schools and what is and is not within our purview to teach. I have simply taken our rantings and turned them into a tangible course that probably should exist. Who knows, perhaps the right person will read this and my wish will be granted. If you are reading this article, I would like to know two things: 1. Does your state already have a mandatory life skills course for high school students? 2. Which topics would you add or remove from my course outline