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Education Dive
'Adulting' courses teach students life skills, from paying taxes to managing stress
Lauren Barack
June 17, 2020
Dive Brief:
A new eight-week summer course offered online through the University of
Kentucky's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment teaches basic
life skills such as personal finance, cooking and roommate etiquette.
"Adulting" classes such as the one offered by U of Kentucky that teach
life skills are also increasingly being taught at the high school
level, in libraries and in virtual schools.
These classes are designed to help students move forward from living at
home to being on their own, additionally preparing them to manage work
and personal relationships, apply for home loans or iron clothing for
job interviews.
Dive Insight:
Just over 3.1 million high school students are projected to graduate in
2020, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Yet
many likely don’t know how to change a tire on their car, pay taxes or
apply for a credit card as they take their place in the adult world.
Financial literacy skills, in particular, are seen as so crucial and
are they’re being taught across all grades — from introducing students
to the basics of a debit card to understanding the term hourly wage.
These "adulting" skills were traditionally taught in K-12 home
economics classes, which have dwindled in recent years, and are
sometimes taught at the college level, but not everyone pursues higher
education. Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, emphasized the
need specifically for high school financial literacy classes in its
report, “The Case for High School Financial Literacy.” The report cites
NCES statistics that about 31% of high school students go directly into
the workforce potentially without understanding basic financial life
skills.
That’s not to say some aren’t trying to fill the gap and going far
beyond teaching financial literacy tools. How about knowing how to
negotiate a new lease for an apartment? Or manage the daily stress of
meeting work deadlines? The Florida Bar, for example, has a 40-page
pamphlet online, “Just Adulting,” a cheat sheet of basic legal facts it
believes all young adults should know in their state, from employment
rights to the legality of medical marijuana.
Students may have a different path forward as they move into adulthood
because of COVID-19. But knowing how to be self-sufficient and steer
their way ahead is something that will help them take those next steps,
whatever direction they may go.
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