Alternative Class Ideas

Hello!

               In most schools, classes are pretty much the same. You’ve got your biology, chemistry, and physics classes for science. Then for math you’ve got algebra, geometry, and calculus. Then you’ve got a whole smattering of other classes for Language Arts and Social Studies. If you’re like any other teenager, you’ve probably asked your teacher “why does this matter? Where am I go to use this in the real world?” And if your teacher’s like most of those I know, they’ve probably answered with “just do the work, don’t ask questions.”

               So my proposal is that we introduce some classes that actually pertain to what we’re going to be doing after we leave high school. There would be two classes, one called Stuff You Should Probably Know How To Do After You Get Out Of High School, and a more advanced version called Stuff You Should Probably Know How To Do After You Get Out Of College.

               The more basic class, Stuff You Should Probably Know How To Do After You Get Out Of High School, would teach some more basic level stuff, of course. For instance, the delicate, artistic way to hold a spatula whilst flipping burgers. There would also be simple, easy-to-follow tutorials on how to dig good quality ditches, and how to apply shingles to a roof appropriately. But really, there would be some very useful topics covered. Stuff like filling out a resume, applying for a job, and how to deal with crappy bosses would all be on the agenda.

               The advanced class wouldn’t just deal with stuff you do after college, but what to do during it as well. How to make ramen noodles every night for four years would be the prime focus of the class, seeing as ramen is a delicate food that requires hours of careful preparation. You’d also learn how to sit in a cubicle for the rest of your life, and deal with carpal tunnel. Really, though, you’d learn a lot of the same stuff as the basic class. How to fill out a resume, how to deal with bosses and whatnot. But you’d also learn how to manage your schedule during college, which is something that a lot of people struggle with in their first few years.

               So although these classes probably won’t  get instituted anytime soon, I still think it’s a pretty good idea. I mean, they’re things that would actually be useful in the future, as opposed to learning linear programming in calculus.