Does the school curriculum need to be changed? It has been a long time since we, today’s parents, went to school, and now that we have tasted life as adults, we know how much it would have benefited us if we were taught life skills in school, From financial management ability and cultural studies to empathy and sustainable living. This article reviews some skills that should have been paid attention to in school. Stay with us!
1. cultural studies
Today’s world is different from the world of our time of education, and changes should be made in the educational process of schools. Geography lesson only teaches children about other countries and the climate where they live on the planet. Still, paying more attention to human relationships, other countries’ cultures, lifestyles, and languages is good. Most of what we have learned in school has been through a narrow lens; we do not know about many other parts of the planet.
Suppose we get to know other countries by examining their culture and people and not just based on their interaction with our country. In that case, we will understand the social situation better, and healthy intercultural communication will be established. If we know other people’s cultures well, we will cause them less suffering, and we will also suffer less. Studying the history of struggles of each country also makes us better people.
We study other languages superficially in school and pass them by without learning much. While having a second language and mastering it is an excellent and valuable skill for life.
2. Financial planning
Financial planning means designing a comprehensive strategy for managing your finances in the long term. We studied math in school and solved trigonometry problems without knowing how it applied to our daily lives. It would have been better to learn financial planning skills and basic math principles to set economic goals for ourselves and our families.
Schoolchildren are young, but they must understand the importance of financial matters and the value of money. Some examples of economic issues that should be taught in schools are:
- setting financial goals;
- planning expenses and savings;
- bank loans;
- Calculation of taxes and interest rates;
- Investing in shares ;
- debt management
3. social skills
Social skills are a set of abilities that help a person interact better with others. These skills include verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening, empathy, conflict resolution, and teamwork. Most of us parents have mastered these skills to some extent because we have experienced many face-to-face conversations. But nowadays, due to social networks, children are not in a position of dialogue.
In our daily life, we go through challenging social situations; In such cases, the ability to solve problems is of great help to humans. Negotiation skills also solve many problems at home and work. The skill of recognizing people based on listening to conversations and understanding body language is also very useful in the workplace.
Another challenge of social relations is dealing with people whose behavior is annoying; Those everyone mistreats must be dealt with somehow. The ability to speak in public, to express our opinion without fear of being judged, not to be shy, to express a critical point of view, to stand up to bullying, and to make friends are other skills that I wish we had learned in school.
4. Sustainable lifestyle
Our lifestyle affects the environment. If we know our surroundings and what we use, waste, and recycle, we will have a healthier earth. A sustainable lifestyle minimizes human environmental impact and enhances long-term ecological well-being. Resource and energy management training, reducing waste, saving water consumption, and supporting agriculture contribute to the health of the earth and our living environment.
Today, organic products are costly. The quality of non-organic foods is not as good as organic products. Many parents like to have healthy fruits and vegetables available to their children at a reasonable price. Growing house plants, along with recycling their waste, is one of the ways of sustainable living. Schools can teach children this skill.
Some people can learn a sustainable lifestyle at home, but most children do not. There are many situations in school where children can learn about sustainable living. Their responsible choices will play a significant role in the health of future generations and the planet.
5. Resilience and empathy
In many daily situations, we must remain brave, patient, self-confident, and strong, and we must have learned and practiced this skill in advance. Resilience means adapting and resisting adversity, Whether it is a minor failure or life’s biggest challenge. Resilience is a combination of mental, emotional, and behavioral skills. To have this skill, you must be flexible and positive, improve your emotional intelligence, and practice problem-solving methods. With this skill, you can manage your stress, cope with difficult situations and improve your mental health in the long run.
Empathy is also a skill that we need to adapt to society. In Danish schools, children are taught empathy, and students regularly meet with their teachers to discuss their problems. In these meetings, they learn how to find a solution to their problems according to the feelings of others. Using this skill, we can build better relationships.
Everyone often tastes failure or experiences grief, but not everyone can overcome it. How to deal with loss and disappointment and being flexible and resilient are skills that should be addressed in school. The power to accept failure helps us overcome life’s crises and believe in our worthwhile going through them. Correctly dealing with absence also reduces frustration and anxiety.
6. self-care
Learning about mental health and caring for yourself in difficult situations should also be included in future curricula for a healthier, more dynamic society. Self-care involves taking conscious steps to maintain physical, mental, and emotional health. Adequate sleep, a nutritious diet, regular exercise, concentration training, meditation, yoga, and getting help from professionals are some of the skills practiced in self-care.
Children can learn self-care by spending more time exploring art, traveling, and other non-traditional education methods. This prepares them for a happy life focused on peace and contentment. If students learn the value of self-love and self-care in schools, they will be more emotionally healthy in the future.
Mindfulness is another skill we can learn in school. With this method, people can focus on the present and live their lives without judgment and with compassion. Mindfulness teaches people to better communicate with themselves, others, and the world around them, making them less prone to depression and anxiety.
7. Working with technology
Today, with the development of the digital world, the training of technology-related skills has become more critical. How to type correctly, use application software, search precisely on the Internet, and use social networks safely and responsibly are skills that our children should learn from childhood. Furthermore, coding, programming, and cyber security help students stay competitive in the job market and have better job opportunities.
last word
Incorporating life skills into the school curriculum has significant benefits for students. The development of these skills, in addition to improving academic performance, allows students to overcome the challenges of adulthood with more confidence. By investing in developing social skills, self-care, and financial planning, schools can prepare students for bright and successful futures.
What skills would you like to learn in school? Please write to us about the subject you think is missing from the school’s curriculum.
