Math, Science, Geography, Language are all school subjects that all young people are taught. Whether you like a subject or not, you are obliged to attend classes so that you can eventually graduate school and be considered an educated young adult.
Still, many young men and women lack basic life skills that neither their family nor school has provided.
Some of the life skills that should be taught in school are, for example, how to handle money, cooking, home repair, healthcare, finding a job, self-defense, first aid, and even car maintenance.
Luckily, there are those teachers who go above and beyond for their students, like a teacher from Alaska who had his students butcher a moose to teach them life skills, or a teacher in Iowa whose experiment helped her teach about racial prejudice.
However, those instances are scarce and teachers don’t usually bother spending hours dealing with topics that are not included in the curriculum.
Is it the teachers’ fault? Is it the government’s fault? Whatever the answer might be, still the point is that students graduate school but lack basic knowledge that will help them in their daily life as adults.
Thankfully, a school in Manly, New South Wales, Australia, doesn’t limit teaching to subjects and topics dictated by the curriculum, but it offers life lessons that will help students deal with some emergency situations that can arise.
A few days ago, some students from Stella Maris College were taught how to do car maintenance by themselves. The lesson included a tire change, checking tire pressure, oil, water, and more.
“Our Year 11 girls today were taught some essential DIY car maintenance skills by Galmatic; how to change a tyre and check tyre pressure, how to check oil, water and coolant levels, what to do in in the event of a minor car crash and so much more,” their Facebook post reads.
Galmatic, a foundation aiming at providing “women and teenager drivers with basic car maintenance skills,” offers fun and interactive workshops related to car maintenance. Through these sessions and courses, students are taught basic car stuff that will make the visit to the car mechanic less stressful. Also, they learn what to do in emergency situations on the road, so that they will spare themselves any unpleasant surprises.
By knowing how to do all the above, young women feel more confident, stronger, and independent. And this is exactly what the school wanted to achieve for their students.
The post shared by Stella Maris College received lots of positive reactions and comments.
“This is fantastic! Wish I could have joined in & learnt this skill! Well done Stella for teaching our girls how to be strong & independent,” someone wrote.
A mother whose daughter attends the specific college commented on how important this life lesson was for the students:
“As a mum of one of those year 11 girls today and ex Stella student myself, a really worthwhile session. Table topic tonight at dinner! Here’s to safe knowledgeable drivers.”
This school’s initiative will definitely have a positive impact on its students’ lives. Hopefully, more schools will follow with similar projects that aim at fostering independence and resourcefulness in teenagers.
This is so important for teens! We sure hope we had been taught all these when we were at school! Here’s to a more knowledgeable new generation!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
