What Real Life Subjects Should Be Taught in Minnesota Schools?

What real life subjects should be taught in school? Kids get heavy doses of things like geometry, trig, and calculus; but maybe managing bank accounts, credit cards, college loans, and even mortgage stuff would be more useful.

Maybe not 'instead of,' but at least included with the rest. What about:

• Common sense (Never mind, can't teach that one.)
• Leadership
• Mental health awareness
• Budgeting
• Public speaking
• College loans
• Healthcare and health insurance
• Effective parenting
• Trades and community colleges
• Retirement planning

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• Sexual health
• Cooking with healthy ingredients
• Elder care
• Fixing minor problems — electrical, automotive, or otherwise
• Car and home buying
• Gardening & yardwork
• Navigating job benefits
• Relationship awareness & pitfalls

Anyhow, the list could go on and on (and we're hoping it does). Many of these things are addressed at some level high schools, but when you take a look at that list -- most seems more important than calculus.

Grandshake.co suggests that these things should be taught in school, so our children are well equipped to conquer and succeed in the world of today.

1. How to Do Your Taxes
2. How to Deal with Money
3. Being Self Aware
4. Time Management and Productivity
5. The Power of Being a Good Listener & Conversationalist
6. The Value of Failing
7. Negotiation Skills
8. Publishing on Social Media
9. Mental Health & Stress Management
10. Entrepreneurship

FlexJobs.com adds these items that would be helpful or Minnesota kids to become fluent in before exiting the education system:

• How to Respond to Failure
• How to Utilize Available Resources
• How to Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
• Networking Skills
• Communication Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Ethics & Responsibility
• Interacting With Diverse Backgrounds
• Information Literacy
• Digital Fluency

When you look at the lists above, imagine of there was a school that taught nothing but those subject items. How far ahead would those students be in the world we live in today? Good stuff!