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Lessons Children Ought to Learn Before Adulthood

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by snowy, May 29, 2014.

Page 1 of 2
  1. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I'll admit that I totally swiped this question from Lifehacker, but I thought it was a good one. It's something I consider regularly as a teacher, since school is not just about academics.

    So what lessons do you think children ought to learn before they become adults? What should be cultivated in our children?

    Personally, I think a sense of empathy is really crucial. One of the greatest things about my job is being able to help kids understand each other. It's not easy, but there are some tools that make it easier. Great literature is one of them. Through literature, we can put ourselves in a character's shoes and perhaps grasp something about their life. The passing of Maya Angelou earlier this week reminded me of this keenly.

    Empathy is a prosocial skill, and I'd love to see my students leave high school with a fully developed set of them; however, that's not always possible. Prosocial skills include things like kindness, a willingness to help others, relating to others in healthy ways, and consideration/concern for others. These skills demonstrate the ability to step outside of one's self for a while, really. They're pretty big concepts, but I think if everyone tried to cultivate them a little more, the world would be a better place.
     
    snowy, May 29, 2014
    #1
    • Like Like x 3
  2. Japchae

    Japchae Very Tilted

    How to be still, on the inside.
    Appreciation for differences and similarities (of all kinds) in others.
    The difference between sympathy and empathy.
    Their own self-worth and potential.
    How to share a kind word with someone, even when you're really not feeling nice.
    Accepting "no" and moving forward... Or adaptability, perhaps.
    How to entertain themselves without relying on others.
    When to rely on themselves and how to ask for help constructively.
    Respect for self and others, regardless of emotions.
     
    Japchae, May 29, 2014
    #2
    • Like Like x 6
  3. Japchae

    Japchae Very Tilted

    Oh, and how to recognize when someone is trying to take advantage of them... As well as how to stand up for their needs and rights in an appropriate and healthy way.

    Self efficacy is something we are failing to teach our children. How we can affect change on our environment.
     
    Japchae, May 29, 2014
    #3
    • Like Like x 5
  4. redravin

    redravin Cynical Optimist Donor

    Location:
    North
    How to communicate with confidence to both genders.
    Easy to say and not so easy to do since most of us would probably have a hard time modeling the lesson.
     
    redravin, May 29, 2014
    #4
  5. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member


    I'm really grateful for my experience in early childhood education, as it made me especially conscientious of the behaviors I am modeling to my students. However, I think it's something a lot of teachers don't think about, unfortunately, and I'm not sure a lot of parents do either.
     
    snowy, May 29, 2014
    #5
    • Like Like x 1
  6. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    Financial planning and the power of compound interest.
     
    Charlatan, May 29, 2014
    #6
    • Like Like x 5
  7. DamnitAll

    DamnitAll Wait... what?

    Location:
    Central MD
    How to spell.

    I'm not kidding.
     
    DamnitAll, May 29, 2014
    #7
    • Like Like x 5
  8. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    That sometimes there are winners and losers.

    That hard work is something to be proud of, not feared.

    That the Golden Rule is still a great standard for how to treat others.

    How to draw appropriate/healthy boundaries in relationships with others.


    @snowy and @noodle already stole a bunch of the best ones. ;)
     
    Borla, May 29, 2014
    #8
    • Like Like x 2
  9. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    Since many good ones have already been mentioned: Manners.

    The lessons would be:
    Good manners make a positive lasting impresson.
    Bad manners make a negative impression that lasts even longer.
    Being the best & the brightest is no excuse for not having manners & common courtesey.
    Manners & common courtesey can help when you're not the best & the brightest (I realize that this lesson would have to be handled carefully because it could send mixed messages).

    A lot of it has to do with the area where we live, but I'm appalled at the lack of manners & common courtesy in younger people.
     
    Chris Noyb, May 30, 2014
    #9
    • Like Like x 3
  10. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    - How to handle your own finances: prioritize expenses, use self-control while shopping, and save for a rainy day.
    - How to bounce back from failure.
    - How to prepare simple meals for oneself.
    - How to handle stressful situations.
    - How to say "No."
     
    genuinemommy, May 30, 2014
    #10
    • Like Like x 3
  11. ralphie250

    ralphie250 Fully Erect

    Location:
    At work..
    damn right
     
    ralphie250, May 30, 2014
    #11
  12. redravin

    redravin Cynical Optimist Donor

    Location:
    North
    That relationships,be they romantic, friends, or roommates, take work and compromise. They don't work like magic and I'd even say don't come naturally.
     
    redravin, May 30, 2014
    #12
    • Like Like x 1
  13. Stan

    Stan Resident Dumbass

    Location:
    Colorado
    Reading, writing, and arithmetic?

    Not to bash another generation; but twitter speak doesn't cut it when you are writing million dollar proposals. Spreadsheets are a wonderful tool; but you really need to be able to spot a clear and obvious math error in one.
     
    Stan, May 30, 2014
    #13
    • Like Like x 2
  14. Bodkin van Horn

    Bodkin van Horn One of the Four Horsewomyn of the Fempocalypse

    Location:
    Inside The Nucleus of Feminism
    How to notice and properly deal with bullshit while producing as little of it as possible.
     
    Bodkin van Horn, May 30, 2014
    #14
    • Like Like x 4
  15. omega

    omega Very Tilted

    To get your license and learn how to drive a car.
     
    omega, May 30, 2014
    #15
    • Like Like x 1
  16. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    The first is a carry over from the other thread in L&S...

    Dating (this can even be emphasized as platonic for certain conservatives and such)

    Basic Household Management & Budgeting.
    Including utilities, cleaning, organization, vendor negotiations even... (let's stop making our young adults surprised and get good habits)

    Color Coordination & Style
    Just the basics on what works in contemporary formal society. (business and such, why let them figure it out the hard way...or worse, never)
    I loved the input I got when I did Elite Modeling back at 17...and it's been useful ever since both professionally and personally.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2014
    rogue49, May 30, 2014
    #16
  17. Bodkin van Horn

    Bodkin van Horn One of the Four Horsewomyn of the Fempocalypse

    Location:
    Inside The Nucleus of Feminism
    How to google something. This is huuuuuuuuuuuge.
     
    Bodkin van Horn, May 30, 2014
    #17
    • Like Like x 1
  18. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    How to have a debate without being an asshole.
     
    Charlatan, May 30, 2014
    #18
    • Like Like x 4
  19. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    According to my wife the teacher, kids already know how to use Google......and copy & paste.
     
    Chris Noyb, May 30, 2014
    #19
    • Like Like x 5
  20. redravin

    redravin Cynical Optimist Donor

    Location:
    North
    That babies are not dolls and are actually a lot of hard work to take care
    of.
    That educating yourself is something that should never stop.
     
    redravin, May 30, 2014
    #20
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