Teaching Basics

(Today’s post is for the letter B in the A-Z challenge.)

In Things They Should Teach In School from siobhan curious: classroom as microcosm, Siobhan Curious talks about buying a new house and shares,

“But there are some simple and not-so-simple things that most of us are going to have to do in life that we don’t learn about in school…

What else should be taught in school, but isn’t, at least in the schools you’ve attended?  Things that immediately come to my mind: meditation, cell phone etiquette (etiquette in general, for that matter) and how to counsel a troubled friend.  What do you wish you knew that no one ever taught you?”

I think we need to teach how to balance a checkbook. I know that I have taught this in my special ed classes but not all special ed teachers teach this. I know that it is touched upon in economics classes but actual balancing seems to be a low priority. I am amazed at how many adults I talk to who still don’t know how to balance their own checkbooks.

We also talk a lot about identity theft but not what to do if it happens to you. Preparing a list of phone numbers, addresses, and information before something happens is important. Knowing the procedures to follow in case it does happen is another important thing to learn.

How to use the Better Business Bureau to check on companies before you use their services would be a useful skill for everyone to learn. It can save you a lot of trouble later on and it is free.

Pricing items from different stores in order to get the best prices would save someone a lot of money. Using Consumer Reports magazine is something we research when we are going to buy any big items.

Another basic skill is counting change. Too often we rely on calculators and computers to tell us what change we need to receive when we buy something. Have you ever gone into the store where the cash register breaks or they lose power? The sales clerk is usually in state of panic when they have to give change so I usually have to help them count my change back.

What other basic skills would you suggest? Please share.

Image: '#193 eggs, milk, bread'
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