Adulting – Skills That Should Be Taught In High School

Adulting, the ability to handle everyday tasks as a responsible adult, requires skills that every high school graduate should possess. Real life isn’t limited to academic subjects that qualify for entrance to college or university, and not everyone will continue formal education after high school. However, everyone will need these life skills to lead a successful life.

Who Is Responsible For Teaching Our Children Adulting

As the old saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Few people live in a village compared to when this phrase was coined, but you understand the meaning. Parents need the help of society at large, which includes schools.

Parents’ primary functions are to provide their children with the necessities of life and, through modelling, teach them how to be caring, respectful, and responsible citizens.

High school teachers are better equipped than parents to teach the various life skills necessary to become functioning adults for several reasons:

1. They already have teaching skills.
2. They have access to up-to-date resources for the specific subjects.
3. Teaching a group is more productive as the students can help each other.
4. Parents do not necessarily keep up with the latest and most innovative knowledge or techniques on any given topic.

Adulting That Should Be Taught in High School

Some, but not all, of the following are taught to some extent in high school. Still, the teaching varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction in the same country, and that’s certainly true in Canada.

Financial Literacy

Budgeting: This is the most significant part of adulting to achieve success. It is essential to know where all your money is coming from and where it goes. You need to know where you are spending your money to avoid a life of constantly scrambling to pay your bills on time.

Savings: Once you have determined your financial situation, you should start including savings in your budget. Initially, set aside whatever you can while still enjoying your life.

Investing: Now we’re getting serious about money and considering our short-term and long-term financial futures. I recommend setting aside 30% of your income: 10% for unexpected emergencies, 10% for general savings or major purchases such as a car or vacation, and 10% for retirement.

Thirty percent may seem unreasonable or even impossible, especially at first. Set aside whatever you can as soon as possible. And remember that it’s never too early to save for your retirement. When you get older, you’ll be glad you did.

Credit: A credit card or two is reasonable and even necessary. So, developing a good credit rating is essential. However, control your credit cards; don’t let them control you!

Disclaimer: I understand that the above financial suggestions may not be possible in all countries, but they should be in all Western countries.

Basic Cooking and Nutrition

Almost any child, even preteens, can find or make something to eat for themselves. Whether getting a bowl of cereal, making a sandwich, or scooping rice from the rice maker, they won’t starve. And that isn’t adulting if only done occasionally. However, growing children need nutritious food to develop into healthy adults.

That is why teens need to learn essential nutrition in high schools, such as the five food groups and how each affects the body. Teachers could provide them with various nutritious recipes, some of which they could prepare and taste in class or even make under supervision for the school cafeteria. Teachers can come up with creative and enjoyable ways to teach nutrition.

Household Management

Cleaning and Organizing: A clean, tidy, and uncluttered home is a healthy and comfortable home. It’s important to remember that you are not the only one living there. Return things to where they belong and leave a room the same or better than when you entered it.

Home Maintenance: Be aware of whether something needs repair or replacement. Knowing this will ensure your safety and avoid unnecessary or added expenses. Have a basic tool kit on hand. Many simple jobs can be completed as a DIY project with tools that should be readily available. At least one YouTube video is available for almost any type of home repair imaginable. Take advantage of YouTube. Simple home repair is part of adulting.

Time Management

As far as adulting skills are concerned, money and time seem equally important. You will want to do or try many things, but a lack of time stands in the way. If it’s important enough to you, you will find the time.

But where will you find the time? If this is a problem for you, try creating a time budget, along with the financial budget, as suggested earlier. It’s the same principle. You start with how much time there is in a day, less the eight hours or so for sleep. Try it; it works.

When my first wife and I separated, we had two young children. I was working full-time and attending university full-time, but I still wanted to spend time with my children. It was a huge struggle and seemed impossible until I created a time management budget. It is incredible how much you can accomplish in the 16 hours you’re awake every day. In those days, the biggest time-waster was watching television. That is no longer much of a problem for me. There are hundreds of specialty channels, but not much is worth watching. If it weren’t for Netflix, our TV would never be on.

The biggest time-waster these days is the cell phone. Everyone I know or observe, including myself, seems to spend excessive time staring mindlessly at their cell phones. And to what end? Are we any more intelligent or knowledgeable about the world around us? Perhaps a little, but mostly, we sit for hours just staring at someone else’s nonsense. Everyone would be much happier if they reclaimed this lost time.

Career or Job Skills

High schools involve themselves to some extent in career skills. Most high school courses are academic and designed to prepare students for college or university. However, not all students plan to go that route, at least not in their immediate future. And that’s okay. I was 35 when I started university. So, what about the remaining students who can’t or don’t want to attend college or university now? Adulting skills are even more relevant to them because the “real world” is about to begin.

For them, career or job skills should begin with aptitude and interest tests. It’s necessary to determine what they might be good at and what interests them. They need help preparing for their new career, occupation, or job. This help includes training and practice in writing resumes, preparing for interviews, and understanding workplace etiquette.

Basic Legal Knowledge

I was unaware of any of this until I enrolled in an accounting program many years after graduating from high school. However, basic legal knowledge is invaluable when something unexpected arises that requires it.

High schools should teach students to understand simple contracts, their implications, and the importance of reading the small print. I recently had a problem online because I agreed to something I didn’t realize I had agreed to. I signed up for a one-month trial exercise program. For those unfamiliar with “negative billing”, it’s a clause that states if you don’t cancel it after a month, you have agreed to continue at a much higher price. I fought it, and luckily, I won.

High school classes should also discuss leases and basic consumer rights. Most people will rent a place to live when they move out on their own, and with that comes the signing of a lease and the responsibilities and rights of the tenancy. Most landlords and tenants are honest, but many are not and may try to take advantage of a situation. Tenants’ rights vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Knowing your rights under the agreement is a good idea before you become involved in a dispute.

Health and Wellness

Physical Health: Maintaining your physical health is essential. You can do many things to accomplish that:

• Good eating habits are most important. Avoid fast food and excessive sugar intake, and eat regularly.
• Get a restful night’s sleep every night. Eight hours is suggested for the average person, but the need varies from person to person.
• Exercise to whatever extent you can and feel comfortable with.

Mental Health: Poor mental health can adversely affect physical health, so you must be fully aware of your mental state. Unaddressed stress is a danger to mental health and often goes unrecognized until physical health problems develop. Don’t ignore the signs. Everyone has bad days, but if you are having bad weeks or bad months, deal with it. Everyone needs to discuss their personal concerns or problems with a mental health professional at some point in their life. Just do it! It is confidential, and it doesn’t matter what others think.

Anyway, thank you for reading this essay about adulting and the life skills many professionals consider essential for those transitioning from their teenage years into adulthood. I hope you have had the opportunity to learn or develop these skills before you needed them in your own life.

The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.

Vocabulary

• coin – transitive verb; invent or devise (esp. a new word or phrase); a new word
• jurisdiction – noun; the extent of this; the territory it extend over; a specific legal area
• scrambling – transitive verb; execute (an action, etc.) awkwardly or inefficiently; trying to find the money (in this context)
• uncluttered – adjective; not containing too many objects, details or elements; not messy
• DIY – abbreviation; do-it-yourself; often a home repair or project that you can do yourself
• mindlessly – adverb; not requiring thought or skill; without thinking
• reclaimed – noun; the act or instance of reclaiming; getting or taking back something that you lost
• aptitude – noun; ability to learn or understand; something someone is capable of doing with training
• etiquette – noun; the conventional rules of social or official behaviour; how to behave in a certain place or situation
• implications – plural noun; what is involved in or implied by something else, unexpected results
• small print – noun; printed matter in small type; details of a contract that should be read carefully
• tenancy – noun; the status of a tenant; the situation where someone rents a living space from someone else
• adversely – adverb; contrary, hostile; negative outcome

Comprehension Questions

1. Who does the writer say should be responsible for teaching adulting?
   (a) high school teachers, or (b) parents
2. Should every family have a budget?
   Yes or No
3. Should everyone have savings?
   Yes or No
4. Should everyone have a credit card?
   Yes or No
5. Which is more nutritious?
   (a) an apple, or (b) a donut
6. Do you waste time on your cell phone?
   Yes or No
7. Have you ever taken an aptitude test?
   Yes or No
8. Have you ever signed a lease or contract?
   Yes or No
9. Are you physically healthy? If “no”, what can you do to become healthier?
   Yes or No
10. Are you mentally healthy? If the answer is “no”, I hope you see a mental health professional.
    Yes or No

Resources

• No resources for this one. This was out of my very own head.

And Now For Your Listening Enjoyment

Daniel Powter recorded his song “Bad Day” in 2005. It was subsequently used on the American talent show “American Idle” as the send-off song for those who were voted off the show. Here is Daniel Powter singing “Bad Day”.

Lyrics

"Bad Day"
Recorded by Daniel Powter (2005)
Written by Daniel Powter

Where is the moment we needed the most?
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away

And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
And tell me your life's been way offline
You're falling to pieces every time

And I don't need no carryin' on

'Cause you had a bad day, you're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know, you tell me, "Don't lie"
You work at a smile, and you go for a ride
You had a bad day, the camera don't lie
You're coming back down, and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well, you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say

And I don't need no carryin' on

You had a bad day, you're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know, you tell me, "Don't lie"
You work at a smile, and you go for a ride
You had a bad day, the camera don't lie
You're coming back down, and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back, and you know
That you could be well, oh, that strong
And I'm not wrong, yeah

So where is the passion when you need it the most?
Oh, you and I
You kick up the leaves, and the magic is lost

'Cause you had a bad day, you're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know, you tell me, "Don't lie"
You work at a smile, and you go for a ride
You had a bad day, you've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time?
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Ah, had a bad day
Ah, had a bad day
Ah, had a bad day
Ah...