A new survey is showing that parents wish their children were taught more “life lessons” in school. Education is important for all children, both for academic reasons as well as social reasons. School is a place where children spend most of their time. They learn about math, science, and English. The basic lessons they need to be able to calculate and write an essay. While there are other complementary classes taught, like arts and drama, parents are still wishing there was more diversity in classrooms.
According to Express and Daily Mail, a survey was completed by adults, and it revealed what they wished they had been taught in school, and what they would like their children to be taught. Most lessons parents preferred were labeled as “practical” than the classic lessons that are taught in school.
The survey was completed with 1,000 moms and dads of children between the ages of 11 and 18 years old. Some of the topics they wish they had been taught:
•How to organize finances
•How to create a resume
•How to use math in real life (Does anyone really use advanced trigonometry?)
While a lot of these are covered in school, they are typically not practical lessons, like calculating interest on a mortgage based on income and topics like this. Then there were some parents who wished that more practical lessons were taught, like how to change a tire, put up wallpaper or fix plaster on the wall.
The majority of parents also believed that learning about self-care was as important as algebra, and these parents worry that their children will not have these skills when they are adults. The results also recognized the influence this pandemic has on parents. With children at home, they are learning a lot more “real life” skills than they normally would, and they seem to be enjoying it.
When it came to the specific classes that parents wanted to be taught, the list included:
•How to start a business
•How to buy a house
•How taxes work
•How to speak publicly
While it is not the school’s job to teach children everything, parents did not feel like they had the skills to teach their children these life skills, they also feel like they wouldn’t know where to start.
The survey also revealed that when it comes to learning these life skills, most children are learning things by watching YouTube videos, but it would be ideal if these lessons could be taught in person with a more hands-on approach.
Sources: Express, Daily Mail