Life Application by Cheyenne

Life Application by Cheyenne - February 2022 Scholarship Essay

In America, the multitude of elective classes a student may choose to take is overwhelming. With classes such as Home Economics, Music Theory, Gym, Agriculture, Sex Education, the number of skills a student can learn in high school is great! But what about practical life skills? How many times have we seen funny pictures and videos of teenagers struggling to understand taxes, change a tire, or even use a can opener?
These videos bring a lot of laughter from older folk, but the reality of the situation is sad when you think about it. Why are these teenagers unaware of what we see as basic life skills? Very simply put, most children learn such skills from their parents. However, we must consider students who lack parental guidance; perhaps their parents are in the military, or working nights, or simply absent. Are we to leave these students devoid of basic life skills?
This is why my new elective class would be a practical life application class; Life Apps. for short. In this class, a teacher will help students to understand concepts they might not be getting at home. This course would be a combination of different elective courses, to give students bite size chunks of skills they will need as they chart out their own course.
One topic might be devoted to economics; understanding taxes and balancing checkbooks. But furthermore, also more practical skills such as taking out a loan, or understanding interest. A course of simple economics you will need in your everyday life.
Another topic would go over home engineering; how do you change a tire anyways? Or what about when the toilet stops up? Or the dryer breaks down? Learn to prepare for an emergency before it happens.
Of course, basic home economics will make its way into the mix. Students might learn the basic recipes they can use for every occasion. Not to mention, learning how to use complex looking devices such as a can opener, electronic mixer, or food processor.
The last topic covered would be an introduction to childcare; a topic often overlooked in high school simply because we don’t want to imagine our children being parents at such a young age. However, these skills are necessary to learn, and should be taught before we give a new parent a baby. How many sibling-less children know how to heat a bottle? Or where baby wipes should be used? What does diaper cream actually do?
I am a firm believer that by teaching our students the skills they need to survive, and be successful adults, we could raise a new generation of leaders. Students, armed with the knowledge they need, could walk confidently down a bright new path, regardless of their parental upbringing. I believe this class could help level the playing field for all children, of all walks of lives. And no longer, would we be forced to laugh at the insanity of a teenager staring hopelessly at a can opener. Let’s tackle the problem at the source. *