From the day when we first attended kindergarten to the day we left school, there were innumerable things taught to us in our academic curriculum. With a plethora of subjects in hand, we get to learn about varied topics that widen our spectrum of knowledge. But, when it comes to living life on the academic standards, we somehow lag. The reason being that there is a list of life skills taught in academics that have lesser relevance in everyday life. Sadly, students are hardly taught about things that can help them in the world outside the school boundaries.
As grownups, turning back to the school days make us regret a lot of shortcomings that we’re facing right now because of not being taught back then. Only if we had taught about the basics of life skills, the course of everyday life could have been better. However, there are numerous things that the teachers need to teach students besides academics; here are a few of them:
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Major life skills schools should teach
Soft skills
The first in the list of life skills is Soft Skills. In the quest to make students develop analytical and critical skills, schools fail to teach them the importance of soft skills. If you look at the broader picture of life, soft skills are the essential traits needed to boost your career and live a frizz-free life. The traits like emotional intelligence, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, decision-making, etc. make us a learned person with a vivid perspective.
By encouraging certain classroom activities like games and tasks that incorporate mass participation, these skills can be developed. These soft skills not only help students in the long run but also make them analyze their life situations keenly.
Personal finance
The second in the list of life skills is Personal Finance. Although we were taught simple and compound interest and other required mathematical skills in school days, the practical use was exempted. With income arises the need for the knowledge of taxes, check filling, loans, budgeting, and saving, etc. The understanding of personal finance can help students prevent any financial congestion in life.
No one shall ever experience bankruptcy if they know how to manage their income. So, the teachers should use various practical approaches to clear the concept of personal finance in the student’s mind. A financially educated person will make wise decisions in money matters and spend the resources cautiously.
Sex education
The third in the list of life skills is Sex Education. It is believed that the modern generation is already in terms of the sex thing through movies and television series. Perhaps, not all are aware of healthy sexual activities and the processes in sync with it. Being unaware of the percussions of immature sex, the use of preventive measures and the resultant diseases that may arise can be harmful.
Sex education should be an integral part of the school curriculum. The knowledge of sex education is important as it is a significant part of reproduction- an evident part of human life. Through seminars and classroom discussions on sex, students will involve in it and talk about it freely. A small initiative with this life skill can take in better intersex relations and gender role literacy.
Basic human rights and fundamental duties
The fourth in the list of life skills is Basic Human Rights and Fundamental Duties. Political science is the part of academics, so we’re well aware of a few rights and fundamental duties, as cited in our textbook. But, the world is too big to encompass in a thick textbook. So, a lot of basic human rights and duties are exempted from the barricades of what we learn in school. In the later course of life, the lack of knowledge of these rights can fail us a responsible citizen.
Although we’re well-aware of the theoretical relevance of these rights, the metaphorical relevance remains unaware. This prevents us from contributing our part to the welfare of society. During elections, each vote counts. So, it is an individual’s right and responsibility to build a better nation with hostile conditions. By being ignorant about fundamental rights, most people fail to receive what they are entitled to get. Students should be taught this life skill right in the school itself.
Stable mental health
The fifth in the list of life skills is Stable Mental Health. Most of the students get involved with illicit activities such as drinking, smoking, and drug addiction, etc. The reason being, the lack of guidance from the teachers during school time can cause serious health issues. Along with the bookish knowledge, the awareness of stable mental health conditions for the proper storage of ideas is important. With the help of health awareness drives, a student can be made both physically and mentally sound.
Their healthy activities will help them in the long run of life to resist the upcoming environmental wreckage too. The drive can develop a student’s seriousness towards self-protection and the significance of precautions to prevent bad health conditions.
These are the few things that teachers at school need to teach students besides academics. While academics help students to acquire critical and analytical skills, these basic life skills can help students get a better hold on the walks of life. So, the introduction of these activities within the academic schedule is the call of the time.
