If you ever asked me what I took away from high school, I could list a bunch of quirky lessons. For instance, I learned to check if the teacher is lurking behind me when I’m sketching a cartoon titled “Captain Whacky.” I discovered that cafeteria workers do not appreciate requests like “salad without lettuce.” I also learned that three tardy slips equal an automatic detention, and that my history teacher wouldn’t bat an eye if I claimed I needed to leave class for “ladies’ issues.”
However, when it comes to the actual academic stuff, my recollections are a bit fuzzy. Honestly, I couldn’t solve an algebra equation to save my life, even if it meant winning a hefty sum and a date with Ryan Reynolds. I remember cutting up a frog in science class, but mostly because that formaldehyde smell is hard to forget. And while I can still say “who tooted?” in Spanish, conjugating verbs? Not a clue.
I must have absorbed something since I graduated and snagged a college scholarship, but truth be told, I felt pretty unprepared for the real world after all those years of schooling. Sure, there were a few random tidbits of life advice sprinkled throughout health or home economics classes—like “use protection” or “turn off the oven before you leave”—but considering the amount of adulting that hits after graduation, I think we could have used more substantial lessons on actual life skills, like…
How to Cook a Real Meal
In seventh grade home ec, we may have whipped up brownies and maybe some soup, but then we quickly transitioned to sewing pillows (which I’ve never used). I learned to make a fine batch of ramen noodles with lukewarm bathroom tap water during college, but it took me years to figure out the kitchen. The first few years of my marriage revolved around overcooked chicken and Rice-A-Roni. To anyone who attended my dinner parties: I sincerely apologize. Come over again—I can cook now. Sort of.
Nutrition 101: Avoiding the “Feel Like Crap” Diet
In a similar vein, there should have been a class titled “Enjoy All the Fast Food You Want Now Because Your Metabolism Will Tank After 30.” While they taught us about the food pyramid, an honest, in-depth discussion on how nutrition affects our health and weight would have been more beneficial.
Basic Home and Auto Maintenance
I always thought owning a house and a car would be fabulous. What I didn’t anticipate was the amount of upkeep required to keep them from falling apart. Learning how to change my oil or tires, and having some basic plumbing skills would have been immensely useful.
Fabric Repair Skills
While we’re on the topic of fixing things, I wish I’d gotten better at sewing. Sure, I made a pillow once, but am I stitching pillows now? Nope. Learning how to sew on buttons or mend beloved stuffed animals would have been way more practical.
Laundry Lessons
As a teenager, laundry was a simple process: I handed my clothes to my mom, and they magically returned clean. Now, as the laundry manager for a family of six, I’ve learned—through unfortunate trial and error—that there’s much more to it than just tossing clothes in with detergent. Understanding what shrinks, what bleeds, and how to remove stains like permanent marker and, well, poop could have saved me a fortune in ruined clothes.
Avoiding Financial Blunders
When I was in school, we spent a week on how to balance a checkbook—end of story. I’m sure kids today learn more, but it still probably isn’t enough to tackle the financial hurdles of adult life. With all the credit card offers inundating college students, a class on building credit would have been a great start. And while I might have snoozed through lessons on investing and saving for retirement, at least I’d have grasped the basics. Taxes? Let’s just say I wish I’d had some preliminary knowledge on those.
Thrifty Living Skills
Let’s face it: at some point in young adulthood, you’re likely to be broke or at least on a tight budget. How nice would it have been to learn how to stretch a dollar? A class featuring extreme couponing experts or non-traditional income ideas, like selling plasma or flipping garage sale finds, would have been a win.
Mastering Adult Communication
We spend a significant amount of our time communicating with other adults—from bosses and coworkers to spouses and neighbors. Knowing how to engage effectively could have saved me from many awkward moments! A course on negotiation, socializing, and even constructive conflict resolution with partners would have been incredibly valuable. (Although, maybe if I had that, I wouldn’t have launched a cheeseburger at my husband as a newlywed, which, while not my finest hour, is a great story now.)
If high school had offered these classes, I might have been much more prepared for life. But, let’s be real—I probably would have zoned out during them, retaining just enough to scrape by. It’s hard for teenagers to grasp that learning these skills is crucial when they think 25 is ancient and that they surely don’t need to know anything for decades. I know I wouldn’t have.
After all, I was too busy with the important stuff like doodling superheroes and other silly things.
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Summary
In retrospect, high school could have equipped us with practical skills for adulthood, rather than focusing solely on academic subjects. Lessons in cooking, nutrition, home maintenance, sewing, laundry, finances, budgeting, and effective communication could have made a world of difference. Imagine how much easier adult life could be with just a few more real-world lessons.