Stephanie Castillo

Stephanie Castillo

Two years ago I sat in math class and wondered when I would ever need to know the areas of shapes again in real life. I do not want to be an architect or any kind of math teacher, so why am I forced to learn it? Too many students are graduating from high school and college lacking basic life skills. Students leave school without knowing how to cook or buy a house, but they know how to find the derivative of a function perfectly. Schools need to prepare students to live their daily lives in ways that are not covered by the current academic curriculum.[1]

Schools should also connect their core curriculum to real life situations: including how to behave professionally; how to get a job, how to manage money, what they need to learn about the criminal justice system and, in general, how to be a successful adult. This has the potential to reduce drop out rates by engaging students in their own education more. It also might encourage students to have more confidence in their abilities to manage their lives after high school. No one should wait until they actually mess up their credit score to learn that is possible.

In middle school, I had an amazing math teacher who not only was able to get us to fully understand the concept of algebra, but connected it to why we needed it. I will never forget all the lessons on money saving, calculating discounts in a store, and figuring out how to get a deal. Students that receive that information at a young age will only continue to benefit from it and grow into functioning contributors to society.

Jason Dionne was my Humanities educator at the Joseph J. Hurley School from 2009 to 2013. He went from there to become Dean of Mission Hill School where he not only taught his students skills they needed to know (dressing professionally, public speaking, proper handshakes, etc.), but even incorporated that teaching into the Humanities curriculum. When I interviewed him recently about my all-girls eighth grade class, he said: “The point is…You were all young women. We had to incorporate life skills into our teachings, even if they took away from something else, so that no one can ever take advantage of you and you will be a powerhouse anywhere you decide to go.” My middle school teachers were perfect examples of the right way to run a school environment that sets students up for success no matter where they go after graduating.

In her article, “Bring Back Home Ec!”, Ruth Graham writes, “. . .there’s the general issue of self-sufficiency, with record proportions of young adults living with their parents, unable to patch together the means and the will to set up house for themselves.”[2] She argues that learning to cook, to balance a checkbook, and shop are skills that all young adults should have, but these skills are not being taught.

It’s as important, if not more important, that students learn the basic skills they need for self-sufficiency. The argument that schools can’t afford a separate class to teach this suggests that schools systems don’t understand the value of this kind of program. Students should not graduate high school afraid to live on their own. They need to be able to take care of themselves. Some may argue that the teaching of life skills within the high school curriculum will take time away from other material that is considered to be more important, as a result thinking that it would not be a contribution to education. The reality is that a life skills class could change students’ lives. If we understand why what we learn is useful, we are more likely to care about it more and apply it to life outside of school. Teaching life skills in high school should be a critical aspect of Boston High School Redesign.

  1. Graham, Ruth. “Bring Back Home Ec!” BostonGlobe.com. October 13, 2013. Accessed February 29, 2016. https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/10/12/bring-back-home/EJJi9yzjgJfNMqxWUIEDgO/story.html ↑
  2. Graham, Ruth. “Bring Back Home Ec!” BostonGlobe.com. October 13, 2013. Accessed February 29, 2016. https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/10/12/bring-back-home/EJJi9yzjgJfNMqxWUIEDgO/story.html. ↑