Life-Skills Class at Walsh Jesuit

            After a person graduates high school, it is their time to start their life in the real world. Most will go onto college of course, but some people do not and start their own lives a little earlier. Many young people around the age of Walsh students do not know any skills to thrive on their own, though. Basic skills like cooking, shopping, or balancing a checkbook are not taught in most high schools. Managing your money or learning how to pay taxes are something adults have to know how to do daily. In college, sometimes there will be classes on how to learn these skills but what about the kids who do not go to college? A life skills class or home economics should be brought back to high schools and mandatory to take for all young teens. An education should involve learning these skills that a person will carry with them after college in order to be a well rounded, successful person. .
             A subject that is usually taught in home economic classes is cooking and dieting. The authors of the book, "Bring Back Home Economics Education," pointed to a comprehensive curriculum to teach students about the scientific and practical aspects of food. These authors go on to talk about how adults do not even learn to cook for themselves and rely on take out food, restaurants, or microwavable food. Another fact they reported is that more than one third of total calories consumed by children and adolescents are from meals and snacks prepared away from home. Another topic that should be taught is household management. These are the actions necessary to take care of your home, something that high school kids will have to know one day when they buy their first home. This includes learning how to do laundry and keeping your roof, air conditioner, water heater and more under control. Cheryl Medelson, author of "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House," states, "So many people imagine housekeeping to be boring, frustrating, repetitive, unintelligent drudgery.