The Art of Living

I sat with a young friend today.  He had almost lost the opportunity of a job, a good job, a job that he really wanted, because he had filled out the application badly.  Because life in a small town is often filled with second chances I was given the chance to help him.  I learned, in our brief conversation, that it was not just about carelessness and messy handwriting.  He didn’t know how to fill out the application.  He didn’t know the importance of references, three references.  He didn’t know that he was meant to get permission from references before using their name and giving out their phone number.  He told me he’d never been taught to fill out a job application.  High school taught him none of the basic life skills that would make it possible to live comfortably in the 21st century.

My question is, why not?  Why is it possible to graduate high school and college in this country and still not know the basics of living?  How to balance a checkbook.  How to shop and cook.  How to make a budget and stick to it.  How to write a resume.  How to change a tire.  What is compound interest and how does it work?

So, while we are re-thinking education for the 21st century, while we are adding experiential education to the very important lessons of arithmetic and reading, can we not take some time out to teach our children the basics of living in this increasingly complicated society that we have created?  Can we not stack the cards so that a good solid kid can get a proper job and be able to hold his head up as a contributing member of that society?  I think this next generation deserves no less.