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Letter: Teach life skills in school

By Jena Leslie, Vancouver
Published: February 25, 2020, 6:00am

I can summarize what I learned in high school pretty quickly. I remember some math formulas. I can also name some grammar rules and list off a few Shakespeare plays. In the years that I’ve been out of high school I can confidently say that none of these things have been put to any use. I’m not saying that they aren’t important, but are they important enough to have spent four years learning them when they don’t help me in my adulthood?

The bottom line is that every high school needs to have a mandatory class that teaches life skills. Things like balancing a checkbook, doing taxes, preparing meals, making doctor’s appointments, etc. This may be seen as a job for parents to be teaching their kids. The problem is, some parents don’t teach their kids these things. And even if they do, realistically, high school students spend more time at school than with their parents. High school graduates are expected to survive adulthood with no skills or knowledge on how to do so. I urge the school districts in Vancouver and the surrounding areas to take steps to add this curriculum.

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