The goal of high schools is to aid students to prepare for college, help them succeed and even teach them life skills for the future, but schools aren’t doing enough to prepare high school students for future life.
There are many life skills needed that schools, including Pleasant Valley, don’t teach such as handling money. Even if schools offer finance classes, they don’t teach the important aspects of finance and many don’t make this class a requirement as well. Paying taxes, dealing with debt and paying bills are all things that everyone will need to deal with in the future and students aren’t getting enough preparation.
Simran Sharma, a senior who attends the University of Iowa, talks about how students are always surprised when they enter college. “The workload is large and tough, which can be a surprise for some students, and I would say I wasn’t prepared for being away from home,” she said.
There are many parts of high school Sharma wishes were changed because as a senior in college, these aspects still haven’t been changed. “I think that high schools should hold seminars for juniors and seniors that teach students the academic requirements for entry and success,” she said.
Morgan Lamar is currently a senior, and she has decided to graduate early. Although Lamar feels prepared to live independently, she thinks that many students haven’t learned the life skills necessary for life.
Lamar believes high schools should offer a class that is based on preparation for future living. “They could offer a class that’s more college-based and teaches students how to fill out applications, apply for loans, and even get scholarships,” she said. A required class like this for juniors would make it helpful to everyone. Many students go through the application process confused because of their lack of knowledge with these things.
The excessive hovering and monitoring by teachers in classes sets students up for failure in the future because they find it harder to be independent after being guided through everything. If students are guided through everything in school, then they won’t be prepared to live life on their own as they enter postsecondary school or life in general.
