by Melissa Washington

Created on: February 08, 2010

It's the 21st century and the educational system in this country needs to catch up. Many American children, especially the ones in low-income neighborhoods are not being prepared for their future. Schools should teach more life skills and focus less on teaching kids to regurgitate random facts that will soon be forgotten after the test.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not against traditional education, it's just that the system is lacking. Along with the basics, children need to learn things things that will truly benefit them in the future:

Resume writing/interviewing skills.

I recently began looking for a new job and I went down to a local employment center and I was amazed at the number of people who had no idea how to even write a resume and cover letter. These were people in their 20’s, 30’s and above. Resume writing and interview skills should be mandatory for all high school students, especially for juniors and seniors who are are soon to enter college. These skills will be needed for the rest of a person's life, unless they happen to become independently wealthy, and we all know how likely that is. Proper interview attire should also be stressed because I've seen people, on more than one occasion, come to group interviews dressed as if they are going to hang out with friends instead of trying to find a job.

Sex Education

Religious people need to get over it and realize that sexuality is a part of human nature. Whether parents want to admit it or not, young people are going to have sex and ignorance is definitely not bliss. Reducing unwanted pregnancies and protecting young people from sexually transmitted diseases should be top priority. Sexual education should also be ongoing instead of the short “sex ed” seminars that I received once every few years from the time I was in 6th grade. In addition, sexual education should start around the age of 12 before it's too late. I'm still dumbfounded when I think of my first thorough sexual education class at the age of seventeen. The class consisted of a room full of juniors and seniors where several girls in the class were pregnant or already had kids.    

Foreign Language

Learning a foreign language should be mandatory and not optional. Understanding other cultures is the key to being successful in a multicultural society. Language learning should also start in first grade instead of junior high school where chances of acquiring fluency are decreased. Having bilingual Spanish classes in first grade made it easier for me to hear and reproduce the sounds of a new language without being set in the ways of my native language. It also broke cultural barriers and allowed me to become friends with and date many Spanish-speaking people over the course of my lifetime.

Finance

With rising credit card debts in this country, young people need to be educated about money management and credit. So many young people are bombarded with credit card offers the minute they step foot on a college campus then sign up for card after card with no idea how credit really works and end up in major debt over minor purchases. This is especially true for children who don't come from middle- or upper-class families where financial knowledge is passed down from one generation to the next. Education on how to manage money should happen long before a young person actually gets a job.

Other things that should be taught in schools are computer skills, health and nutrition, conflict management, and the list goes on and on. In order to prepare children for adulthood, schools need to teach things that will be needed in everyday life and remembered long after the names of Columbus's three ships are forgotten.

Learn more about this author, Melissa Washington.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.