Since when do we expect schools to teach the things that should be taught at home. The same people that are bitching about what the government legally does, are the same ones that were screwing off in civics class and not figuring out how to vote or get involved.

These kids also have no idea how to dodge a bullet of any sick bastard who is free to own a gun . I don't want the overwhelmed and underpaid teachers who try to teach , inspire, and on these days to stay ALIVE , to have to do mommy and daddy dirty job as well . Let's find a way to secure schools first , no more death ? And the rest mostly has to come from home . If your mom or dad is an as!?$& who drinks all day long , shoots animals for fun , using drugs and enjoying beating up who ever and whatever , I can't see what teacher will do w that . Other than getting sued probably for mentioning any suggestions / education who daddy might not like . Really , I can see that happening !

such courses would be ignored, just as the ones we used to see about safe driving were. we were shown grueseome films about accidents. no effect whatsoever. furthermore, tell a kid not to do something, and guess what? chances are the kid never thought of it before but NOW wants to try it!

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Yes, I do. Kids today are pampered and no clue to deal with adversity .

Parents these days won't allow teachers to teach sex-ed or science. Imagine the rage they would bring to the table if you tried to impose common sense on their kids.
I wish it was different.

A very commendable idea there, However the first thing that would need to be instigated is to teach such things to the Teachers first, things such as Respect, Honour, Decency, Community Spirit and Awareness, etc, etc, the simple things that I was taught back in my days at school ( late 50s through to the early 70s btw) and by my parents, mainly my father since my mother was NOT actually a patch on the arse of what a mother should be.
It seems apparent that kids these days are of the Me, Me, Me Generation obsessed with the " Monkey See, Monkey Do" ideology and some portion of the blame for this ideology also lays squarely upon the shoulder of their parents as well.

Geez. It seems like you want to teach them life. Can't be done in a few semesters.

I'd like to see some philosophy taught. Basic logic, Socratic questioning, Plato nothing too deep, but some basics on how to think.

From personal experience with my daughter when she was a junior and senior in HS it has more to do with a school system having qualified teachers. Her civics class in particular was nothing more than a teacher who trumpeted right wing propaganda every class and never really taught anything about how government works. The class you propose would be a great if schools actually had professional teachers that gave decent instruction. My daughter learned some government, not from the instructor but in spite of him. There were a few teachers that were decent but about all have left since that time. I have to believe that other areas are much better than here but the whole education system needs a reboot.

... Who even has a chequebook any more? Nearly everything I pay for doesn't accept cheques.

As @RavenCT stated, Civics & a basic Ethics course is not a bad idea, along with a basic Economics course, such as balancing a checkbook & what interest on credit cards is. But, I also agree with @CaroleKay, "...what about the parents?" Most of those issues that you mention should be addressed from when children are very young, & explained & answered in more detail as they grow older. Schools can only do so much, especially with as underfunded as so many of them are!

Those and logical fallacies but middle school is the place to introduce those concepts.

I have this poster poster in the science resource room.

[decisionstats.com]

When I was a senior, we had Civics/Government as a requirement to graduate. Also economics was required, where I learned to balance a checkbook, how taxes worked, etc.

Totally agree. I would even volunteer to teach it. I just don't care to take care of the logistics. It can be a simple series of lectures and discussions, and not necessarily a class.

I'd like to broaden it to a course on 'Adulting'. It would include legal aspects, financial information, cooking, sewing, tire changing, house cleaning, time management, basic sexual information, parenting and relationship skills, and ethics. You might think that some of this is redundant but I don't think that a refresher course would be amiss as they're about to go out into the world. (I added the sex part because I taught a university level course on sexuality for years and could not believe the nonsense they believed to be true -- which was part of the reason that I also counseled a number of students on unwanted pregnancies!)

I'm not sure it can be taught. My grandson wants to stay out of prison but he does dope and won't work. He doesn't get it that he goes before a judge who asks him right off if he has a job. Then if he gets a job he wastes all his money and expects people to take him to work for free. His brother was into dope as well and was murdered 2 years ago. These kids all insist that they live in "the real world." It's a world that I want nothing to do with.

Common sense isn't that common any more, I'm afraid.

That's way too logical and makes too much sense doubt it will ever happen it used to be a parent's responsibility to do that but now it seems like all the parents feel like it's society's job to raise their children

Curriculum varies from state to state. I believe most of the "Blue" states teach this material. Many of the "Red" states don't, because the politicians believe that teaching about it encourages it. (ugh) I've been a high school teacher in California for 34 years. From what I see, teenagers today are much more aware than teenagers of my day, or even when I was a young teacher. They are not, however, adults. It is their job to push boundaries; it is our job to guide. As for common sense, I don't know why we would expect our young people to be 'smarter' than our adults. Of course there is the whole issue of parenting, but I digress.

This could be part of a course that many schools now teach on daily activities like maintaining a checkbook,how to establish credit and open utilities etc.It can be difficult to learn these simple common sense things without getting into trouble. My daughter never realized you could not write checks without putting money into the account. She graduated with honors.

I don't think it could hurt, but I don't know that it would help many.

I had an elective criminology course in high school. It covered a lot of those topics. I honestly think most of the students thought of it is a joke.

High school kids have this weird idea that they are infallible and smarter than everyone else. I think that teens who commit crimes do so thinking they'll get away with it and not because they don't know it's illegal or the potential consequences.

I really wish they would be taught the constitution, the amendments, and the Bill of Rights properly and not by a biased person. After all justice is supposed to be blind AND work both ways, NOT the way it suits their feelings.

Home Ec stuff would be nice, but my private school didn't teach it. They taught you how to read, so I took that skill to read a cookbook and instruction manual and have survived somehow to 52yo. They should also be taught to put down the electronic device and observe how things are done around the house. Also, I agree with everyone who said it needs to start even younger and by the parents or a respectful adult influence on their life.

Absolutely

When I took Civics/Free Enterprise in high school we had the checkbook/budgeting thing. I ignored most of it because it bored me (and I have since come to regret it because it's taken me years to learn how to manage money) Given the attention span of today's kids, I don't know if such a required class would be effecient....and who's going to take it as an elective?