Kingswood Oxford is devoted to educating students and preparing them for college and life beyond academics, and they do so very well, yet life skills classes are something the curriculum lacks and should be implemented asap! Learning how to do taxes, put a down payment on a house, and writing a good resume are all skills that are just as important arithmetic and grammar. The KO New believes education should prepare students for the future, whether that involves going on to a higher education, joining the workforce, and just generally becoming an engaged, well rounded member of society.
Therefore, we think that KO should add classes that teach interview skills such as eye contact, proper etiquette, a good firm handshake, and writing a solid resume. While the public speaking class is a great course, students need to reach beyond just speaking and become even more prepared for their future. Additionally, econ and stats classes are a great addition to any students’ course load, but rarely cover important life information such as buying a car or keeping a checkbook and credit score.
The world is always changing and becoming more advanced, and schools need to equip students with the kind of skills that will enable them to conquer anything the work world may throw at them. There are skills people use every day without even realizing they are using them that need to be honed and worked on to be applicable in a work setting. These are skills such as problem solving, communicating effectively with co workers, critical thinking and organizational skills. For example, critical thinking is a skill used in math and science at school all the time but is just as useful in any sort of work setting when brainstorming how to better solve a problem that may have come up in the office. These are the type of skills that schools need to focus on with life skills classes and pass onto the students.
Schools need to realize how important and significant these skills are and integrate them into the teaching. Rather than seeing a life skills class as optional or not relevant to education, the KO News believes this course should become a part of the core curriculum in high school.
There is often a divide between what students learn in the classroom and the demands placed on them outside of the classroom. In a recent survey in the United Kingdom, carried out by the research company YouGov, less than one in five employers thought that most graduates were ‘work-ready’. So many students lack key skills such as communication skills, the ability to work well under high pressure, and professional skills. If part of the purpose of education is to prepare students for the real world, that goal is not completely being achieved.
Students usually have good grammar, can write a five page essay and can do calculus but they need more than that to be a functioning and successful member of society. Life skills classes are important and should be offered at every high school.
Every year KO graduates smart, capable and happy students, imagine how much better prepared ou students would be if we offered classes that would teach students how to tackle real world scenarios. The KO News believes teaching life skills classes will only help and better prepare our students for a life of civic engagement because so much of what counts for success outside in the real world goes beyond academics.
