how to think

life skills: how to balance a checkbook, how to budget, to make long term plans for life, how to cook survival skills, to name a few

Critical thinking.

Problem solving and critical thinking.

Logic, strange as it sounds, it is not taught here (Oz) now, but was in the 1940s at primary school.

How to handle a pool or snooker cue. The manual dexterity, correct stance is all good. Once mastered you can make friends anywhere

Skepticism, Logic, more time dedicated to science and understanding rather than fact memorization

How to think not what to think

Chopping wood, making fires, skinning a rabbit, catching fish, growing veg, cooking that does not involve packets, building benders, clay ovens, signs of wildlife, herbal medicine and foraging. Knitting, sewing, crochetting, tating, button making, leather and woodworking. Proud to say my three could have a good go at all of these.

How to study. In fact, that should be taught even earlier. Best course I ever took as a freshman in college was on how to study. Wish I had went through a course like that in junior high.

Just one? Civics, critical thinking skills, basic life skills (sew on a button, change a tire, basic cooking) manging credit (the real cost of credit) and budgeting, business etiquette skills. I want to sit every kid down with one of those slick fashion magazines and have them pull out all the pages of nothing but advertising, and then calculate the price they are paying for the adverts, and assess the remaining articles. How many are making them feel bad about themselves to sell the crap in the advertising. I also want a refresher course in driving skills, why can no one merge onto the highways anymore? And OMG, how NOT to drive, put your damn phone down. I want every American kid to have to work in a nursing home for a semester. I want to teach them to always, always, always ask questions and especially of authority.

Civic's.... I took civics and had to find stories and read out a report of the story in class. There would be some good stuff in USA today or NewsWeek. Hell... I have an accountant do my taxes. Not some silly H&R Block.

Relationship stuff. How to know when we're being manipulated, abused, gas lighted etc.

Learning how to be assertive and how to strengthen our personal boundaries. Learning how to spot a misogynist or a narcissist.

All these toxic people can ruin a life. A person who's educated and wise to these issues and who's developed coping strategies might protect themselves against such threats and lead a happy life.

Civics and critical thinking.

Yes to basic finances. Yes to civics. I'd also add anatomy and physiology. We should have some idea of how the body works. How else are we going to care for ourselves/have an appreciation for life?

But, before we make more changes (we do that on a regular basis) we need to really look at what's being taught in the more competitive/successful school systems around the world.

Civic. The ignorance of politics and government workings is appalling.

To learn to think for yourself, question authority for a start...

I say bring Home Ec back. But make it required for BOTH genders and teach budgeting, how to shop for large items like cars, saving plans and options (e.g. IRAs / 401ks etc).

One thing? There are so many things missing. Among some of the replies below, I think the exposure of debt slavery needs to be addressed. It also should be taught that humans are no different from other animals, more complex, perhaps, but the same. This socioeconomic caste system, where most of us are bred into production labor and service wage slavery, needs to be exposed to the youth. They need to know that they can do little more than survive in a system of such inequality, where the fruits of the labor of the proletariat feed the financial elite. They need to know that profit is nothing other than unpaid producer wages. They also need a heavier does of science and the mathematical tools to quantify the world and describe its processes. And Poe. More exposure to Poe.

I can’t remember what class it was but we did learn how to do taxes, balance a checkbook, make a budget, etc. I was shocked my kids didn’t.

I think students should be taught critical thinking skills.

All schools should be self-directed.

Students allowed to work at their own rate and pursue passions and interests can zip through a grade every two weeks. Thus students who want to go into science and research can quickly move on to university level classes, while students who prefer working with their hands, can learn machining, where they earn high salaries while learning, then get paid high salaries, as these jobs are currently begging for workers.

No more forcing everyone into the college track, to go into debt, and then work for a low salary.

No doubt the reason public schools force students to work in lockstep, holding everyone back and boring them with busy work to wait for the slowest students, is to keep students warehoused and tax money flowing.

Interpersonal relationships 101

Personal finance

Civility, common decency, manners and respect.

Religion is NOT truth.