Before students graduate high school and leave home to enter the next phase of their lives, they need to learn independence and how to do everyday tasks. Things that students’ rely on their parents for throughout their school years, they must learn to do for themselves. Taking the time to learn and practice these types of skills while still in high school enables students to graduate and feel confident and independent.
Students need to be able to maintain a calendar, fill out forms and schedule appointments. These are day-to-day administrative tasks that may seem small but are important to our daily lives and students may not know how to do them. Although some students do manage these tasks themselves, some have parent help and once they start college or jobs they will no longer have this type of parental support.
In a New York Times article, the writer, Mark McConville, asked a 12th grade boy to call and reschedule a medical appointment. The boy told him he didn’t want to make the call because he did not know what to say. This small task of calling a doctor’s office is one example of a task students will have to manage once they start college.
Unless a student plans to pay for a laundry service in college, he or she will be doing their own laundry. It may seem simple but there are steps involved in doing laundry and it is important students learn prior to college exactly how to take care of their dirty clothes. Everyone should know when to use hot or cold water and not to mix whites and colors.“In order not to embarrass yourself in the laundry rooms at college, you must know how to operate a washer and dryer. So, before heading off to school you should ensure that you aren’t relying on your parents to do your chores for you,” graduate Margaret Christovich said.
Although freshmen are able to eat in a dining hall, often by sophomore year students are off campus housing and on their own for their meals.
Unless a student wants to have a bowl of cereal or a microwavable dinner for every meal, he or she will need to know the basics of cooking.
It is better to learn cooking skills while still in high school while having the time to learn from parents and having the time to practice. Every student should at least learn some basics such as making a bowl of pasta, scrambling eggs or even how to bake chicken. “When I visit my brother at college, we only eat pasta and chicken nuggets, which gets tiring overtime,” junior Kelly Baldwin said.
The basics of personal finance are important. Some are fortunate to take Lesley Stroot’s personal finance class in high school.
Others may not know the difference between a debit card and a credit card and how to keep a budget. It is important to be able to manage money when you are living on your own. “I took personal finance because I know it will help me in the future and teach me to budget before I start college,” senior Leah Kellert said.
