Sad, but true...

There are a lot of things in life that I either never learned how to do, or learned to do late in life. Balancing a checkbook, doing taxes, changing a flat tire, changing the oil in my car, and a thousand other DIY projects. However, if you need me to diagram a sentence, write a Haiku poem, or label the parts of a cell, then I'm your man. It seems like there are so many things we learn in school that we will never ever use. Algebra for example. I would venture to guess that 95% of people who took algebra in school don't use it in their workplace. Photosynthesis is another example. Why do I need to know how chlorophyll in plants uses the sun's energy? Then when it comes to useful things that almost every adult does in his/her life, schools don't teach any of it. Do you know what would be more useful than algebra? How about learning about mortgages. How interest rates work, and how to apply for a mortgage without looking like a total putz. Do you know what would be more useful than learning about photosynthesis? How about how to calculate credit card interest, and how to avoid building up crippling debt before you're thirty years old. Do you see my point here folks? I have students who can't read a clock or multiply 7x5. But they know how to identify the author's purpose of a reading selection. I have kids who can barely read, but know how to find a Youtube video to watch. The whole world seems upside down and backward. I think we should get back to teaching basic skills, and quit worrying so much about higher order thinking skills. I would much rather a student be able to know how to make change rather than tell why 3X+2Y-4=12. Instead of training well adjusted and educated adults who can function in the real world, we have a bunch of kids who can't read a clock, can't give you change for a twenty, or leave a proper tip at a restaurant.