Most of Stratford’s high school curriculum focuses on just academic information, with not a lot of opportunities to learn life skills. High school is supposed to prepare students for college. However, students need to learn how to handle real-life situations.

Life-skill courses offer help, such as learning how to pay taxes, budgeting, or even just how to raise a family. This could benefit students before being sent off to college into the real world.

Stratford should offer this as a course even just an extra-curricular. I believe many students would want to take this class. Aside from a personal finance class, I believe a home economics course could be included. Students need to learn how to do basic things such as learn about food and nutrition, how to do laundry, etc.

An example of a class that should be offered is a cooking class. Many teens these days grow up eating food handed to them through a drive-thru window. Some kids have parents have work full-time and do not have time to cook a real meal. A large portion of the population doesn’t know how to prepare healthy meals. Basic cooking skills help improve health, save money and create positive family interactions.

Another class Stratford could include is offering a money management class. Students learn algebra and geometry in high school. However these classes do not teach them skills for financial success. Students get sent off to college without having a clue how to budget, balance a checkbook, or learn to save money.

If Stratford offered these classes, many students would opt to take it. Life skills are very important to learn especially before seniors go to college.