What are secondary schools missing?

Smart kids.

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I've had a perfectly wonderful evening......... but this wasn't it. -- Marx

I think students should have to take a "Crisis Class." How good would it be to have a bunch of snot-nose kids having to critically think about how they would cope with REAL crisis? If I were teaching it, my topics would be:

1. How to deal with being knocked up (or knocking up a peer).
2. How to deal with living on your own (bills, rent, etc.)
3. How to go on a job interview (and I don't mean "Mickey-D's" either).
4. How to keep that job (and why).
5. Personal responsibility, and what's important in life (health insurance vs. cell phones, diploma vs. G.E.D., study halls vs. toga parties).
6. Advanced personal accounting (how to live within your means).

These coddled little young'uns need to learn what REAL problems are. They need to be taught the consequences of poor choices. They need to get out from mommy's skirt ("real" mommy or "government" mommy), and critically think about their choices.

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"It's the rich people's fault they earn more." - Makedde

agreed .

Your argument is that class should be more entertaining. Why do that, you're out of school, right? Why not make a thread about how you should be allowed to watch T.V. at your work.

It should catch their attention, not distract them.
The point is that our school system is set up to teach kids stuff for the purpose of tests. Any real-life stuff taught in such a class will be reacted to in the same manner.

Classes of this nature must go beyond and make them retain it... which at the very least requires more than one class, more than one year to enforce retainment.

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"Man lives in the sunlit world of that which he believes to be reality. But unseen by most is an underworld, a place that is just as real... but not as brightly lit... A DARK SIDE!"
-opening from Tales From the Darkside

Interestingly, I just noticed that there is a TV show on Kids Thirteen that educated kids about income tax, W-4 forms, and 401Ks. I'll bet it also covers things like credit cards, checkbooks, and others as well.

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WARNING: In the unlikely event of an accidental agreement with any or all points made in the above post, contact a clinical psychologist immediately.

The views expressed in the above post are not necessarily those of Joker and/or any of his affiliates.

"You have found the secret message. Do you have too much time on your hands? ...Let it go."

I would like a class like that. I have always thought a class that teaches about debt, mortgages, credit-rating, filing your taxes, balancing a budget, etc. would be really important.

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I ,sort ,of agree with you but I would add this caution: children are guided by parents and peers. Don't expect schools to do everything. Some girls will become pregnant before some parents think it is even appropriate to teach sex ed.

I am acutely aware of how little class time there is for my 15 year old to take all the classes he would like to take, as well as the ones he MUST take. I would like to point out that the kids that are coddled (like my kid!) are much more likely to perform well in school and go on to college. It is the children who are semi-abandoned and not coddled at all that you need to worry about. I think you have it backwards on that point.

Anger management wouldn't be a bad idea either. But first we have to get rid of Every Child Held Behind.

I think you're right about the testing. Most classes simply require kids to regurgitate information verbatim. They need classes that teach them to gather information, analyze it, and then do something with it. Instead of memorizing, kids need to learn to think.

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For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson