Schools should do more to prepare students for the non-academic aspects of adulthood.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain the reasoning for the position you take. In developing

I absolutely believe that schools should do more to prepare students for the non-academic aspects of adulthood. Sure, some may argue that schools do not need to prepare students for non-academic aspects of adulthood and those aspects can be learned as one goes in the future. However, just because schools may not /need/ to prepare students for future aspects of life, that does not at all mean that they /shouldn’t/ prepare students for future aspects of life. Preparing students for non-academic aspects of adulthood can lead to greater success rates and a more stable adulthood.

First, while learning how to read a periodic table and solve quadratic functions may be wonderfully helpful for those intending on pursuing college or professions in academia, not every student will need to know advanced math and science in later years. You know what every student will need to know? How to do taxes. Learning to do taxes is not only a necessary part of adulthood if one plans to make any money and live in a government run country, but properly knowing how to do your taxes can lead to a better tax return rate, and therefore more money, which can lead to paying off student loans, buying food, paying rent, etc. If schools taught students how to do taxes, not only are they saving them from possible stress come tax season when students realize they’ve never seen a 401k, but schools would also be giving students the opportunity to get a better tax return and more money.

Second, a study in 2005 by Fredrikson et al. found that the highest quality of life were reported by those who were most well adjusted into adulthood. From these findings, one can infer that people have a better quality of life, whether that be physically, mentally, or financially, from being better adjusted. What is the definition of well-adjusted? The study mentioned a myriad of variables defining well-adjusted, which all essentially stated the same fact: that a person felt comfortable performing the tasks of adulthood. Whether that be living on one’s own, grocery shopping, investing and saving, or dealing with family matters, well-adjusted people were not overwhelmed by the tasks of adulthood. Rather than find them daunting, they felt themselves well equipped to handle them. Fredrikson and colleagues study did not cite exactly how these adults became well adjusted (whether their parents taught them or they eventually got the hang of adulthood on their one), but if schools gave students tools and skills for the future and taught them ahead of time how to handle the tasks adulthood may throw at them, students may be better adjusted and therefore have a better quality of life.

It is possible of course, that some may argue that taking time teaching skills for adulthood, such as how to do taxes, may take time away from academic studies. Or, as said earlier, school boards might argue that it is not their job to prepare students for adulthood. But to those objections I ask this: what is the purpose of an educational institution? I believe the purpose of an education is not just to teach, but to ensure success in students’ life. School boards are meant to prepare students to flourish once they walk out of the classroom. Sure, schools may be culturally educating students, teaching them to argue, write, create art, solve math problems, and conduct science experiments. But at the end of the day, society can only flourish if students themselves become valued members of society. And when one reaches adulthood and is faced with taxes, living expenses, work responsibilities, and more, being able to solve a quadratic equation certainly will not help them be productive and flourishing members of society.

As for taking time away from studies to teach skills for adulthood, I would argue that learning how to survive and flourish as an adult is equally important if not more important than learning academic subjects. In psychology, there is a well known table called Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which details the higher order of needs a person must have before being able to pursue other needs. To clarify, first a person must have the basics for survival (such as shelter, food, water) before they can begin to focus on enriching social relationships. If someone is starving, they’re more concerned about where their next meal is coming from rather than if their personal relationships are emotionally fulfilling. I believe this theory can be applied to skills for the future: one needs to have basic, non-academic life skills, before one can worry about enriching society, culture, or literature with the academic knowledge gained in school. One who is emerging into adulthood will have their focus primarily upon finances and living situations rather than biology and mathematics. Therefore, if schools do more to prepare students for these non-academic struggles they may face, they are actually allowing them to succeed further in educational pursuits.

If we truly want to create a society in which people are well adjusted, have a high quality of life, and are equipped to survive in order that they may thrive, I believe it is immensely important for schools to do more to prepare students for the non-academic aspects of adulthood.