Schools do not prepare students for adulthood

Jacquelyn Hurtado/ Staff Writer

Adulthood is a reality that everyone must enter, but few can manage. Unfortunately, the school system fails to prepare students for adulting, causing an insecurity among young adults.

In my experience, the high school curriculum focuses primarily on academic success. Usually, the overall success of students on state exams and end-of-course exams matter more because these numbers are what represent the school. Students are put under a tremendous amount of pressure to do well in all subjects and learn to crave instant gratification.

The problem with this is that after constant studying and testing, students forget all the information they retained for the exam. They are left with great academic success, but a lack of motivation and drive. Students are forced to conform with the answers in books and focus intensely on grades, stunting their creativity and ability for out-of-the-box thinking.

For me, stressing about these exams consumed my life and when I finally graduated and entered a good college. I had little to no idea about what I wanted to pursue and accomplish in life. I was extremely introverted and felt that my communication skills were lacking.

The most difficult task was choosing a major because I never took the chance to explore my options in college. This left me completely unsure about how I would be able to manage adulthood.

To fix this uncertainty in high school graduates, I believe that schools should reduce the amount of state and end-of-course exams and encourage students to enjoy their classes rather than focus on their grades. However, I am very hesitant that this solution will ever happen since the number of state exams have only increased.

A more plausible option would be to integrate career, home education and finance classes into the high school curriculum. Although some schools offer these courses as electives, I believe they should become core requirements.

Students should be taught how to manage their money, what career options are available and how to communicate in a business setting. This will allow students to have a better idea of how they want to live their future.

Once a student takes these classes and chooses a specific path, then introduction classes in that specialty should be offered. It won’t completely prepare the student for what lies ahead, but it will familiarize the student with the benefits and drawbacks of that career path.

For example, in my high school career, I would have liked to see introduction classes specializing in Photoshop, Premiere and other software programs that are essential for communication majors.

Currently, in my communication classes, students are expected to already have some prior knowledge on these programs. Even though some classes on Photoshop are offered at FIU, students might not be able to take them due to the excess credit surcharge or other financial reasons. Because of this, it’s very difficult to maintain ourselves up-to-date with all the necessary software since we weren’t previously prepared.

Ultimately, the school system should offer these classes as requirements, so that students can better transition into adulthood and college life. Career, home and finance education is an integral step for all adults and should be focused on.

Rather than creating a path towards anxiety and stress, schools should provide insight and a sense of security to those who are hesitant about their careers and lacking knowledge about adulthood.  

 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

 

Photo by Mikael Kristenson on Unsplash.

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