I had the chance to talk with an assistance superintendent of a local school district for about an hour the other day. I called him about the possibility of hiring a high school catering group for an event. While I have yet to get an answer on whether we will fit into the schedule since school will have just started, I did enjoy a rather engaging conversation that ranged from multicultural literature to financial literacy to study skills/college prep.

For a very long moment, I savored the sweet opportunity to think, to engage, to learn. Oh, my, do I miss it. I was flattered by his request for my resume, offering to see if there was a place for me to perhaps help utilizing my skills...but I do not dare believe that something may come of it. I think, perhaps, I can focus on how much I enjoyed delving into weighty matters for but a moment or two.

Points of Discussion:

Multicultural literature, while much more prevalent when compared to the 80's, still demands attention to authenticity, accuracy, and access.

It is asinine for society to expect young adults and adults to have proficiency in an area that is not systematically taught over a sufficient period of time. From college students who rack up thousands of dollars of credit card debt to adults who end up with overwhelming debt from paycheck loans or risky mortgages, people cannot be expected to demonstrate proficiency in fiscal matters just because they happen to be old enough to earn their own money.

So many of our young people are set up to fail, rather than succeed. They suddenly shift from being told what to do and when to do it--from home to school--without systematic education on the life skills necessary to do so successfully. Young adults need training in planning, time management, note-taking/study techniques, dealing with an adviser, professional development, job benefits options, budgeting, etc. These are not subjects in school; many would argue they are the purview of parents. I disagree. They absolutely should be a part of our education system beginning at least as soon as junior high school. After all, there is such a push for critical-thinking and problem-solving development that the subject matter in those lessons ought to have to some real-world applications.