Agnostic.com

48 9

Do you think there should be a high school course to teach common sense laws to teenagers?

An example of a few laws that come to mind are Rape and what constitutes it,animal rights, larceny and grand larceny, illegal drug use and drinking and the consequences of just fooling around and hurting someone. These kids have no idea how these things form a record and that it will stay with you all your life. They have no idea that it affects credit, ability to get a job or be accepted to a school. They lack common sense and this course might just prevent them from ruining a life.

Marine 8 Sep 23
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

48 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

4

Courses should along the lines of:

  • Interviewing for a Job
  • Compromise in Marriage
  • Dealing with Workplace Politics
  • The Importance of Dumb Luck
  • Question What You're Told
  • Reason and Critical Thinking

Along with basic courses in Banking, Taxes, Buying a Car, the day to day stuff. School wastes years teaching useless trivia. Not once have I ever had any use for knowing who built the pyramids or the purpose of the Magna Carta.So much time wasted learning shit that had no value in life.

4

They should also have parenting courses. All public schools should also have philosophy and/or critical thinking courses too. From the looks of how things are going they also need some courses in compassion for other people, etc.

I agree totally, they are so in tune with a device that shows no emotion or consequences that they lack the ability to inter act with real people.

4

Here in the UK, the current generation are less likely to drink, take drugs, get pregnant early or smoke, and are more likely to have a job than any since records began. The US ain't that much different. I reckon it's about time we give the youth of today credit where credit is due, and accept that we did stupid(er) shit when we were young.

"Lack of common sense" is the lament of every generation about the next. It's so easy to forget or dismiss the stupid behavior of our youth.

@Anne209 Amen, sister!

They [Young People] have exalted notions, because they have not been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things -- and that means having exalted notions. They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones: Their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning -- all their mistakes are in the direction of doing things excessively and vehemently. They overdo everything -- they love too much, hate too much, and the same with everything else.

Aristotle, 384-322 BCE.

3

Yes! Yes! Yes!

And though it is a lesser crime (At least in Tennessee it is against the law), children should also learn that littering is unethical and disrespectful. I regularly walk around the local park picking up litter. It boggles my mind that there are so many unethical people out there who disrespect others so much.

Another pet peeve is people driving vehicles that are WAY TOO LOUD. They should learn to respect others more, and put mufflers on their heaps of junk. Better yet, get a nice, quiet electric car.

3

Just because something is taught in school doesn't mean that the students will learn it, and if they do learn it , no guarraunttee that they will understand, if they do learn and understand, there is no reason to believe they will retain it or apply it. We need to stop blaming schools for our lack of morals, blame the churches and republican party that have been dumbing down public education since the Reagan days.

You are very true in what you say. I am at my wits end with teenagers today. They show very little respect for anybody and do not recognize the results of their actions.

3

Not entirely sure what the end game would be for such a course. Do you honestly believe that a student getting As in the class means that he/she has their wits about them or would it just indicate that they successfully parroted back what was presented. They might be best presented broadly, as part of the school culture, rather than as a class.

Exactly....and what about the students who 'fail' the course? Jails and prisons are full of people who never earned their high school diploma. The only successful way to teach this information is through ongoing and meaningful conversations.

@Anne209 I don’t think this is a graded or pass/fail class in a traditional sense. It’s usually personal research and group projects. You’d have to not attend to fail.

@Livia The students who don't attend are generally the ones we need to reach. I agree that this material should be taught, and I believe it is in many states, although not always in one course. My point is that just because something is taught, does not mean that it is learned. It has to be supported outside of the classroom with ongoing conversations, modeling, and support from the parents....just like all other subjects.

3

Civic and Ethics. Those would both be helpful for future adults.

3

Ummmmm, what about parents?

Not everyone is blessed with great parents. I don’t know about the USA but in the UK teachers are legally in loco parentis, and they assume the responsibility of what is in the interest of the child when the child is in their care and under their supervision. At least it was the case when I left.

IMO, Schools have duties to the children and wider society that don’t replace the parent, but support parenting. They also monitor children for signs of neglect or other factors that contribute to disturbance in their psychological or physical development.

When I was a kid we even had a nurse come in each month to check weight, nails, teeth and hair. Once a year we had hearing and eye tests. There was also free milk and food, free pencils and paper and other resources. We were well taken care of, now I think about it. Different now.

@Livia they're considered in loco parentis here in the States, too. Or, at least they were when I was in school in the 80s/early 90s.

2

Yes but also I think we should reform our justice system so teenage stupidity does not lead to a limited adult life. We need to stop allowing for profit prisons and the increasing separation between law enforcement and communities. We need to make a national effort to improve and fully fund public education for all citizens and pay teachers a decent wage. America needs to stop pretending the individual can exist in a healthy way without a healthy society. The whole bs lone man success is just that.

Quarm Level 6 Sep 28, 2018

Totally agree, very good post.

2

I think there should be mandatory courses on basic life skills and concepts that start earlier than high school. There should be an entire curriculum around how to be an adult, pay your taxes, balance a checkbook, expectations for college and a real job, how to cook, and process information as an adult.

Do people still balance their checkbooks?

@klang72 On like a see-saw?

I don't balance mine, I just review my bank statements. Also, I know I suck at finances and just er on the side of saving more than I spend. At the end of each month I want more than I had last month. I should be better since I'm pretty sure I'm spending $10 a month on a radio subscription that I no longer use.

@mattersauce Well we could all do better I'm sure. I know I certainly could.

2

Absolutely.

2

You just might be on to something here. There do seem to be a lot of youths who are unsure about where the boundaries lie, or what the long-term consequences of trespassing are.

2

Yes problem I see is that a public schools have to fight just to teach truth.
All bits of critical thinking skills have been done away with so standardized testing works across the board.
People with no past to learn from or future to look forward to are very easy to scare and control.

2

Sure, but that's not enough. I think people who want to be parents should take those classes. Any dumdum can have a kid (and many do), but--to be a competent, fairly decent parent--certain qualifications need to be met.

Yes

2

Considering red states can now ignore the existence of Hillary Clinton and any democrats or non biblical teachings I think common sense just isn’t an option for them. I recently talked to a 20 year old who didn’t know how to tell the temperature. The future is fucking scary.

2

As a mom of 20, 15, 14, 12, and 10... Yes!
I make each other learn how to cook, clean, balance bills, do laundry, push the mower, how to speak properly on a phone, be kind and respectful to others.
Anything they will have to do by themselves once they move out.
So many of their friends lack those skills.
We also start the dating/sex/personal space/privacy talks at around 10.

2

Yes. Too many parents are too stupid, or self-absorbed, to teach their children
what they need to know.
It would amount to about the same as "life skills" classes for special needs kids.
And Civics, they need to start teaching Civics at the grade school level again.
I took a Political Science course in college (I was already in my 30s), and for some of my classmates, it was the first time they were hearing about Civics, which I had learned about in elementary school.

Just because they don't remember it, doesn't mean they weren't taught. Just saying....🙂

@Anne209 Doesn't mean they were, either. Just sayin'.

Too many families are depending on both parents working, or a single parent working tons to survive. Then they get home, make dinner, do housework, maybe attend school events/games, and finally crash. To repeat it the next morning.
Most parents care...we are just overwhelmed.

@Nichole765 Way to take it personally.

@KKGator as a mother who is trying to juggle everything, it becomes personal.

@Nichole765 Only because you let it. I wasn't referring to you, and if you want to think I was, I can't help you. Besides, in your above comment, you already said you're teaching your children about all those things.
So, to take exception with what I said, and make it about you, you're contradicting yourself.

@KKGator you were referring as parents being self-absorbed... But I disagree with that notion. Most parents care about their kids but need more time in the day.
I personally go with little sleep to accomplish that I do. Some days, even that, isn't enough.

@Nichole765 Again, you are making what I said about you. You can disagree with me all you like, but I wasn't talking about you. I didn't say "all", or even "most", parents are self-absorbed, I didn't say you were self-absorbed. There ARE a lot of self-absorbed parents out there. Disagreeing with me for pointing that out is simply your personal opinion. I wasn't talking about you.
Go ahead and take the credit for all you do. You deserve it.

2

I think this class is known as civics. I don’t regard it as “common sense” which is a term for right wing social and economic theories. I think this class is about life management, planning and critical thinking about ethics. It’s an essential class, imo.

Livia Level 6 Sep 23, 2018

It varies from state to state. In California these topics are taught in Health, Science, Social Studies, and Math.

When or how did the term "common sense" come to = right wing theories? That's certainly not true where I live (Michigan).

@citronella [blogs.lse.ac.uk]

@citronella [thoughtco.com]

Mainly social/cultural/economic theory. What people think are “common sense” are often the result of hegemonic apparatus. It’s hegemony as people are unaware of the control being exerted on their opinions and thoughts via the prevailing political power within society.

@Livia This described economic theory. That's not what I am referring to at all when I talk about common sense. To me common sense is knowing how to balance a checkbook, make a simple meal, set up a budget, be able to debate an issue without calling names, that sort of thing. I think use of the term "common sense" must be very different in the U.S. vs. the U.K.

@citronella No, I think Am. English and Br. English have the exact same understanding of “common sense”. There is the perspective that is yours - how to do something in the most obvious logical and efficient way. We can apply this to everyday tasks, but it gets political when we generally and widely apply false logic to a common question “common sense” becomes questionable and a type of logical fallacy, and this is often utilized by the right wing to control public opinion. An example of faulty “common sense” is “Immigrants are a burden on the economy. To improve the economy, wages and job security for you and I, we need to be tough on migration to protect our country. American jobs for American people!” It sounds like logical sense, common sense, but it’s factually inaccurate and racist. We have the same crap in the UK too. So, I am not saying your interpretation is wrong, just there are are two ways of understanding common sense as a concept.

2

Educating children about animal rights, drug abuse, etc. is great if it is accompanied by critical thinking. This will teach them how to think instead of what to think and enable them to muster an intellectual defense against future bullshit.

2

not that i'm saying nay but it sounds like a "life" class. is it hard to teach "sense"?

1

Absolutely! I think parents should be teaching life skills but they obviously aren't so it falls on the schools.

1

Yes.

1

Absolutely..... Education is slipping....

The "64 dollar question" is why. I was a teacher and saw what the problem was, but few who are not teachers will understand why. Most teachers will get it wrong also.

1

Give it a try but have some way to see if it does any good after a couple years.

Carin Level 8 Sep 24, 2018
1

Yup!

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:185509
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.