Five Classes I Wish They Would Have Taught In School

What an excellent meme. (Or as Jamie says, “me me,” which is so perfect.) Thanks, MommyPie for tagging me me.

Well, I alluded to it below: I’m tired. I’m worried about my stomach lump. I ain’t got much to give today. BUT, this got me thinking and I can’t NOT write about it, so…

…here are the five classes I wish they would have taught in school:

• What It Really Means to be Married: This class would do away with all preconceived, romanticized notions of marriage. Of course, it would teach that “love is a decision, not a feeling,” and that marriage is work, but it would also share that much of the time, marriage isn’t perfect, isn’t meant to be, and that’s OK. Personally, I think of my marriage as making me a better person because it is so challenging. I’m learning the art of being less selfish every day. I’m the type of person that if something comes easy, I don’t grow. And I want to grow (only in certain places). So in this class, I envision students learning about healthy expectations, personal fulfillment and emotional baggage. With a healthier, more realistic view of marriage, I think more marriages would last (OR it’d become clearer, sooner, WHEN a marriage should end.) And without a doubt, there are some that should.
• Why You Should Vote: This should be taught in middle school. I want kids to understand that election issues will affect every aspect of their lives. Political policies will impact what type of education they receive, what type of world they will live in, their socioeconomic status, everything, everything. Let’s build that awareness early on and maybe, in the future, we won’t have such an underrepresented youth vote.
• Be Yourself: The Road to Independent Thinking: Again, a middle school subject. Peer pressure is hard to counter, sure, but let’s get some other messages out there: different is good, different is valuable, different can change the world.
• You’re Part of Something Larger: Think Global: I don’t care how graphic the photos are, show images of Darfur, Iraq, starving children, kids toting guns, burning villages, chaos. Make people care, make them want to do something about it. Build global consciousness. Fight apathy. Do it as parents, do it as teachers, do it as children of the universe.
• It’s OK To Not Know: Enjoy the Becoming: There’s beauty in the unfolding. We’re on a path, and we don’t always need to know where the road ends, who we’re going to be when we grow up, where this relationship is going, the secret of life. Just stay on the path. Or wander off of it. It’s OK, I promise it will be OK.

So that’s my deal. Consider yourself tagged if you’ve read this. I’d love to hear what you think.