Topics Schools Should Discuss More

By: Mya Gaddis

10/25/20

Despite just beginning my sophomore year of high school, my parents have began pressuring me to pick out potential colleges and plan what I may be interested in studying. One day, I started to think about my school life and what knowledge I will take with me once I leave for college. As my thought continued to wonder, I began to realize I was not ready for the outside world. My school has simply not taught me what I need to know. I feel schools do not teach about topics that are not discussed as much as they should. It’s like the systems are scared to talk about certain points in history or how to deal with stress. Schools actively refuse to teach topics that are important to history and that can help us not stumble and fall when we have to leave the house to go make a living ourselves.

One of the most important topics schools need to talk about is mental health and how to deal with it. Several schools across the US claim they care about their students and how the students come first but only take a few hours out of the hundreds of days they have with the kids to talk about mental health. Considering countless mental health conditions develop during adolescence and a great deal of stress comes from school, you would think the school system would take the time to sit down with the parents and students to talk about these important issues. Mental health is one of those topics adults often brush off as kids being overdramatic and “soft” when in reality we feel as if our feelings and thoughts don’t matter. Since many adults dismiss this problem millions of kids don’t want to talk to guidance counselors, teachers, therapists, or even their parents about their problems.

Another big subject schools seem to forget about is the history that comes with the LGBTQ+ community. It is truly upsetting how little kids and even teenagers will use the word gay as an insult, and what makes this even worse is the fact no one will them it is wrong. Habits and behavior like this need to be disciplined at a young age. A way to cut off these actions is to teach kids about the amazing LGBTQ+ members and allies who will forever remain icons. Making fun of someone's sexual orientation should not never be condoned. Many students feel unsafe in schools because they can’t express who they are. Having LGBTQ-friendly curriculums will assist kids in loving and accepting themselves. Schools need to talk about LGBTQ+ history because, just like everything else that has happened in the past, it is history. The reason why society is close- minded is because from early on we don’t study the entire story. I’m sure if history classed had at least one lesson about the community, there would not be as many homophobic people as there are. If schools want us to go out and do good in the world and respect others, then they need to spend more time learning about the heroes who don’t get talked about, such as: Billie Jean King, Audre Lorde, and Pierre Seel etc.

This one is mainly for highschool, but financial management should be a required class or at least have someone come in and teach the students how money works. The majority of financial problems people face could have stopped if schools made their students study finance. This would save so many parents and their kids with college, jobs, and all around just life. The world takes advantage of the fact millions of people every year become adults without possessing knowledge about financial responsibility and stability. Overall, it would just help numerous people be set for the rest of their lives. Money has value and if the school system takes the time to teach kids about taxes, checking accounts, debit and credit card, and debt then they won’t have to worry about not being able to pay someone back or spending years to pay off student debt.

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who say they don’t care about a topic or they don’t want to learn about a topic because it doesn’t affect them. It is just an easy way of saying they don’t care about the topic or they don’t want to have to deal with criticism. Schools have done this in the sense of not wanting backlash from parents. How are future generations going to know what to do once they can’t rely on their parents anymore? The second we turn 18 we are supposed to know how to do things no one teaches us. Schools need to do a better job of showing us all the history facts, demonstrating to students they care and preparing us for what the world is actually like.

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