High school. In hindsight, some of the best years of my life, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Robyn Simpson. Leaving the cushiony comfort of structure, routine and parallel thinking — less enjoyable.
I placed a huge expectancy on my early twenties. They’re supposed to be the best years of your life, right? I’ll tell you one thing for free, this magnificently turbulent stage of my life would have been a lot more rom-com-chick-flick if I had been better prepared for life beyond the classroom.
What was imagined to be the most care-free, independent, empowering years of my life has boiled down to “What am I doing?” and “Mom, do I need life insurance?”.
Here are five things I wish I had learnt in high school:
1. The essentials of adulting
I’m almost certain that watching The Passion of Christ three times in matric could have been minimised to a once-off, making way for the all important basics of how to be an adult.
My transition from academic to real life was somewhat traumatic. I felt like I had been thrown into the deep end with no life raft in sight.
Eager to be independent and fiercely hard on myself, I undoubtedly contributed to most of the extreme anxiety I’ve felt to somehow take on the big bad world lone ranger.
See, it wasn’t Life Orientation that I needed, it was a practical understanding of how to start my life.
Here are some essentials of adulting I wish I had been prepared for in school:
- How to open a bank account and what the best options for me would be.
- How to save money, build up credit without getting into a sticky situation, why one might need credit, explaining the basics of interest, VAT, tax and tax returns. What is a debit order and how do I set it up.
- The basics of owning a home, including what you should look for when purchasing or renting, what a bond entails, what add ons I should consider (water, electricity, rates, levies).
- How to purchase or pay off your first car. How a service plan works and the importance of resale value.
- What is insurance and why do I need it? How to apply for insurance.
- What are my medical aid options and how to I put this plan into action.
- How to strategically budget. The basics of budgeting.
- What is a retirement fund and why I should be saving towards it.
2. The real deal
Aside from the basics of getting by, I wish sexual and mental health were not only included at school, but prioritised. And not just in Biology, where learning the anatomy of a penis is considered good enough.
I’m talking about the reality of sex, intimacy, knowing your body, dealing with trauma, anxiety and everything in between. This includes education on the affects of modern and social media on your mental and physical health. Learning about your relationship with yourself.
A few things to consider:
- An introduction to the types of mental illnesses, therapy, treatment and management.
- Different types of therapy, from mainstream psychology to meditation and breathing techniques.
- Ways to naturally maintain a healthy menstrual cycle, the effects of menstruation on the physical and mental (and yes, boys should learn this too). Menstruation should not be isolated to females, nor should it be taboo.
- Encouraging a healthy body image for both boys and girls.
- Unpacking the orgasm and demystifying sex as portrayed in mainstream media.
- Basic nutrition and health care. What should be on my plate? Unravelling diet culture and preparing healthy meals that don’t cost a fortune.
- The value of self worth and building a positive relationship with yourself.
3. Redefining the boxes
Physical Education (PE) drew a firm line between those who either lived for or dreaded the subject. Rather than forcing kids to swim or run laps (which only makes them resent exercise further), why not get creative with what it means to be physical and explore different forms of activities that don’t leave half a grade heaving on the side of a field.
Practices that have the potential to change lives and fuel future passions, rather than fitness levels:
- Teaching self-defence classes.
- Guided meditation, yoga, or breath work techniques.
- Learning a craft like crocheting, woodwork or survival skills.
- Learning about mindfulness and mindfulness practices.
- Trade skills like social media analytics, plumbing, videography or construction.
- Nature studies including activities like foraging and eco-living, or agriculture and farming.
- Introducing certain university-level formalities and skills. For the love of sanity, contact different tertiary departments and introduce learners to formal ways of referencing correctly.
4. How to get a job
Job insecurity is a factor that young South Africans can’t ignore when beginning the search to find paying work. In hindsight, I find the work experience and university talks in high school to have been superficial and surface level.
See, when you’re finishing up school, most have no idea about the working world and decisions to study further, and selecting certain subjects are made off the back of youthful dreams and ignorance.
Here are a few things I wish were made clearer:
- In selecting subjects to carry on through my high school career, how this choice will effect my potential tertiary studies and what field of work I’m setting myself up for.
- When finishing university or high school, how do I best prepare a CV, conduct myself in an interview or begin to search for available positions?
- What salary expectancies are attributed to certain fields of work and what practical and/or academic skills will I need to hone.
- University is not the only option to consider when finishing school. What courses, trades or practical experience is out there? How does one get to work and travel after school? What qualifications are in demand?
5. Broaden knowledge
Call me eccentric, but looking back, high school was one massive time warp filled with sums and pretty sentences. I can guarantee that for most of us, we don’t remember most of the stuff we learned. Because it lacks actuality.
I’m by no means disregarding the essentials of education. I’m suggesting adding the real world to the foundations of what we know and love about classic schooling.
Make the transition from a school career to the real world less shocking by introducing a taste of current affairs. Create discussions, get the cogs turning. Who knows, Jimmy could be kak at maths but save the planet from global warming.
Adding flesh to the bones:
- Studying climate change in real life.
- Being introduced to current affairs and word news.
- Understanding the world of media and how to use social media informatively and positively.
- Making a foundation of knowledge relevant by attaching it to the reality in which a student lives every day.
- Including subjects that lend themselves more to the world we currently live in. Think graphic design, journalism, AI.
Am I saying ditch the current system? Absolutely not. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But if it can improved and evolved, do it. It’s time for schools to move beyond outdated curriculums and boxed up practices. For me, high school should act as a training ground which works in harmony with the realities of living as a successful, functioning adult.
Young adults are so much more than we’re giving them room to be. It’s time to break moulds, think bigger, and prepare better.
#RobynintheHood
Insta: @Robyn.inthe.Hood
Twitter: @Robynhoodcpt
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