Whatever happened to teaching real-life skills in school?

Another school year is quickly winding down, and if you are like me you’re probably wondering where the time has gone. 

I think this is an appropriate time to ask if our school system is really providing a service for our young people or equipping students with information that is more suited to answer a question on Jeopardy.

There’s been a push everywhere to get kids into universities, but strangely never college, which is unfortunate, and in Toronto to push Afro-centric schools and teach other cultural histories but, ultimately, they both fail to teach and equip kids with the day-to-day skills they need to succeed. 

Most students won’t have a practical need for algebra, calculus, physics, religion, and a whole host of other classes that are taught in most high schools across the city. 

The goal should be to make good, successful citizens and not marginal students.

Students should be learning how to stay healthy and in shape, balance their finances, how credit works, how to start up a business, why voting is important, and basic Canadian history and they should be learning these things in ways that are fun but educational.

As we get older health care is going to be a very important issue. Older generations will require much more care and this will strain budgets and resources not only in Toronto but across the country. 

The issues facing future generations will stem from unhealthy eating habits and obesity. It’s important to start teaching students at an early age how to take care of their bodies and stay healthy and in shape to avoid these issues.

Schools do this in part by helping to provide breakfasts but physical activity should be more prominent.

History and politics are important to teach. How can you know where your city, province and country is going without knowing where it has come from? 

Understanding what is happening with the upcoming municipal election is important. It affects us all. I wouldn’t be surprised if most kids couldn’t name a few of the mayoral candidates. 

If students are going to lead this city into the future, they need to know how it works and why it works the way it does. 

This may even help engage students to become more active politically which could help address local calls for more inclusion in civic politics in Toronto.

The recent recession, if anything, should have taught us that balancing our finances is very important. 

Teaching students about credit is also valuable. They should learn that credit isn’t free and indefinite, why credit scores are important, and how banks work and why they target them. 

They should also learn there are severe consequences that occur when you are not able to pay back your loans, mortgages and other things. Living within your means is not easy but it’s important. 

Teaching students about creating and starting up their own businesses gets them to start thinking about their futures and what they want to do while teaching them a very valuable lesson. 

Many people work for, or own, small businesses. It is an important component to the foundation of our economy. 

The city is home to many small businesses and Business Improvement Areas (BIA) are littered with small businesses making a difference in their respective communities by providing jobs and opportunities for Torontonians that may not be found elsewhere. 

This may seem like it’s out of the jurisdiction of Toronto, but this isn’t the case. The examples I provided affect us in the city every single day. They also help shape the city in ways we may not see right away.  

Toronto and GTA schools should be looking for ways to go back and teach these life lessons. The future of Toronto is in the hands of students currently in school. 

If they’ve been studying for a class they have no interest in, other than to help them get into university, and they haven’t been able to learn the lessons I mentioned, what chance does this city have to succeed and prosper 20, 30 and 40 years down the road?

About Robert Kirsic

Comments

[greg]

'real life skills' can be taught while providing lessons in the sciences, mathematics, history, culture, religion etc. These real life skills are all grounded in the principles of these fields of study. They are all relevant and is being applied in all aspects of Canadian society on a daily basis.

What is a business man who doesn't understand algebra? Broke, because the accountant stole everything.

Without Physics, there are no engineers.
Without Calculus there are no engineers, economists, doctors, pharmacologists etc.
We wan't Canada to be more than just manual low paid labourers, and world followers, relying on foreigners to tell us how to build a better wheel.

Educational institutions should be geared towards encouraging students to think critically. If they can do this then they will be able to handle all adult responsibilities as they arise.

[Vote John Richardson]

Thanks for an interesting article. I agree with you that the schools do need to teach "real life" skills. For example, the fact that schools don't teach basic "financial literacy" is deplorable.

That said, it seems to me that the goal of an education should be to teach people to be "effective citizens", "productive members of the community", "good parents", "responsible decision makers", etc.

These objectives are as much the result of good values and the ability to think critically as much as they are the application of specific skills. I came across an article in the Globe last weekend that talked about the importance education developing the skills required to "think critically". You will find it here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/teaching-the-humanities-vital-to-society/article1601322/

The following quote may be of interest:

"As the critical thinking taught by the humanities is replaced by the unexamined life of the job-seekers, our ability to argue rights and wrongs is silenced. In a society of unreflective, undiscerning yes-men and yes-women, politics becomes meaner and business can invite disasters such as the economic meltdown or the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."

There is no question that life skills should be taught in the schools. But, they can and should be taught in the broader context of "critical thinking".

Thanks again for a great article on an important topic.

[Johanna Lankin]

I’m not sure exactly what makes you think these practical life skills aren’t being taught in public schools. In 2007 the Ontario curriculum was revised and includes practical application of concepts in almost all courses as well as opportunities for development of hands on skills. There are specific courses available in Managing Personal Resources, Managing Family Resources and Civics, which is a compulsory credit. There are nutrition courses offered in the Social Sciences and Humanities curriculum and the Health and Physical Education curriculum. The Ontario ministry has also revised its guidelines on the types of food that can be sold in schools; a policy which is being phased in over the next two years. Elementary schools across the province engage students in the DPA (daily physical activity program) for which teachers were trained on how to integrate physical activity into lessons and schools were funded for sports equipment, etc. Credits in Business and Entrepreneurship as well as Communications Technology provide practical skills for the business world. Woodworking, Auto shop, Landscaping, and Construction courses offering preparations for the trades are also still very much a part of the high school experience. This year some schools are piloting a compulsory grade 9 credit in general learning which will deal with topics such as GLBTQ issues, green living, healthy living, goal setting, decision making, bullying, positive relationships etc.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/subjects.html

The Ontario Curriculum Documents are easily accessible to the public and I urge you to read them over. Reading through the course expectations for each credit you will find that everything you have listed as being absent is indeed present in our current curriculum. There is also an entire vocational curriculum in both Toronto and Peel School Boards at the locally developed level, devoted entirely to Personal Life Management.
In addition to what is available for students in the classroom, there are wonderful creative efforts being made by staff and students to provide extra curricular opportunities for community involvement, co-op work placements, volunteering, clubs for fitness and yoga, healthy cooking, etc.
One last practical skill taught in our schools that worth mentioning in response to your article – students are encouraged to support their statements and opinions with evidence.

J. Lankin
Teacher

[tkpc]

Maybe that is the thinking from some parents. But I would rather than let my kids study those so called non-practical courses (algbra, calculus, phyiscs,...) very well in school, but not care that much to those practical courses as today's kids will have their whole life time to learn real life in real world. But without those foundamental knowlege and skills that algbra or physics provide, I cannot imagine that they be successful in the so called real world!
Maybe hundred years ago, only very few could go to school. Farmer's kids worked in the field to be a farmer through learning from real farming. The trade people's kids started early with parents to learn the skills to make a living... But nowadays, I think everyone should be able to go to university, and everyone should know some algbra or physics to function well in this ever changing world.

[JT]

It's been almost 15 years since I got out of high school, so I don't know how the curriculum has changed since I was there, but I remember thinking to myself at the time, "I'm never going to use this". I never had any use for things like English (the Shakespeare kind, not the English-as-a-second-language kind), Humanities, Social Studies, etc. I don't recall ever using anything I learned in those courses for anything other than getting a good grade in those courses. At the time, I felt the same way about History, though now I'm kind of on the fence regarding its importance ("those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it"). What courses did I find useful? Algebra, finite math (permutations, combinations, and probability), general science, physics, French, and music.

I think it would be very valuable to teach kids about financial stuff - how credit works, how the stock market works, etc. And proper English grammar. That was never part of the curriculum when I was in school (or maybe it was, but it was skipped), so I didn't learn it until college, which for me was after university. I've had to proof-read some essays, resumes, and cover letters, and I found it amazing to see just how poorly they were written.