The Skills of Life by HOLLY

The Skills of Life by HOLLY - February 2022 Scholarship Essay

Welcome to my course! The class every young person should take is called “Life Skills” or “Adulting”. A life skill is a term used to describe a set of basic skills acquired through learning and/or direct “life experience that enable individuals and groups to effectively handle issues and problems commonly encountered in daily life”. This course will enable my peers to make a positive contribution by developing experiences needed to understand their responsibilities, while preparing for the challenges and opportunities of adulthood and a working/professional life. Relationships, finances, investment, legalities, community opportunities, employment, education, communication, entertainment and health are just some of the themes that will be incorporated.

My parents are teachers and they motivated me to write about the concept of this course. They encourage my siblings and I to be creative, think critically, problem-solve, and figure out how to make our own decisions. These family lessons can be cultivated into a high school course that is required for graduation. We need some lessons that include dealing with consequences, disappointment and empathy. My high school class will teach the ability to communicate (with and without the use of social media). Everyone will work with different students and learn to collaborate. The projects will teach about personal and social responsibility. My course will help to contribute to a healthy society and help produce successful and employable individuals.

All life skills are real because they actually affect people’s lives. My course idea will be trendy and timely. It will include topics in social media and in real society. My course will be personal and at times sensitive: the topics will affect the students on a personal level, especially when family or friends are involved. I want to include real health skills too. My peers need to know how to prepare healthy meals, shop for food and plan a realistic budget.

I want my course to teach about local laws. As well as legal rights. This will help to create an awareness of rights and responsibilities as citizens/students/adults etc. I would like to see this achieved by presenting informed social and political issues. During class the teacher will help us to understand and articulate opinions and arguments. Peacefully. This will aid in compassion for others. The task at hand is to teach and learn. While certain life skills may be acquired through our everyday experiences in the home or at work, they may not be enough to adequately prepare my peers in today’s complex and diverse society. At the completion of my course my peers will have a well developed self-confidence and the ability to successfully deal with significant life changes and challenges.