As the school year comes to a close and seniors’ final days in the building approach, adulthood is imminent.
“I think what I need to learn for the future can’t necessarily be taught,” senior Gilberto Esquivel said.
Adulthood can be frightening for some as it’s always affiliated with the remainder of one’s life along with what the rest of your future will look like. However, that may not always be the case.
“I still often don’t feel like I am prepared for adulthood,” psychology teacher Jeff Purdom said, “But I do think I was prepared to be able to speak up and learn to problem solve so when I was faced with situations I was unfamiliar with I had to adjust and grow to learn and be able to handle those situations.”
“No, I’m still not,” government teacher John Smith said.
With adulthood right around the corner and college decisions on the horizon, seniors are left with some vital information still left to learn before their next chapter.
“I don’t think school teaches you what you need for adulthood like jobs and interviews,” senior Ashlyn Pacchetti said.
“How to do taxes, like that scares me,” senior Elena Carasel said.
Often, students feel as though the courses in our school do not set them up for the future.
“No, because some classes I take, especially math, I think when will I ever use this in a real-life setting,” Carasel said.
“Going through life you have to experience things so the curriculum being taught wouldn’t necessarily prepare anybody, but you should be able to prepare yourself,” Esquivel said.
When students think of adulthood, they frequently mention money and how our school lacks classes to teach us how to properly start managing our finances.
“I feel like there should be more lifestyle classes because none of us know how to pay bills or anything,” Pacchetti said.
“We have some finance classes like Econ, but that doesn’t really go over how to take out a mortgage,” Smith said.
Courses like English and Math don’t necessarily teach students anything truly valuable for when they reach the age of 30.
“We’re missing some big ones. We should have personal finance classes and other things that help students prepare for not only financial life but life in general,” Smith said, “Like parenting classes because most people are going to end up becoming parents.”
Nonetheless, if not required, the school is not entirely responsible for teaching students all of these life skills.
“That’s something your parents have to teach you,” Esquivel said, “Kids look up to their parents so it’s beneficial for their parents to teach you about finances. Also, teachers have to teach you the curriculum rather than your parents telling you their experiences with it.”
Regardless of the courses, students will have encounters and lessons that will teach them valuable life lessons for the coming years.
“But even if the subject matter doesn’t specifically set you up, the skills and lessons learned in school certainly will set you up,” Purdom said, “Learning how to manage time, hold yourself accountable for your actions, how to build friendships and relationships, how to deal with adversity, how to respond to failure, how to properly handle success, all of the lessons that you learn in school can set you up for adulthood.”
The fear of the future will always be prevalent in someone’s life, due to the fact that nobody, not even grown-ups, is aware of what lies ahead.
“Try as many things and quit as many things as you can until you find something you absolutely refuse to quit,” Smith said.
“Be present in the process. If you are always thinking about what your future is going to look like you will miss out on what is currently going on in your life,” Purdom said, “Yes, settling down and having a steady job and a house and family (or whatever future you have in your mind) is a great thing to look forward to.   Still, every day can be an opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest and you might miss it if you are always looking ahead.”