Home Economics is a course that teaches students basic skills such as cooking, baking, sewing and doing laundry. Driver’s Education guide students through the basics of driving.  Many schools still offer these courses. Manners, as well as responsibilities, are taught in schools and homes, but whose responsibility is it to teach children about these matters?

Schools teach many subjects that range from math and English to foreign languages. But where do we draw the line for the courses that are taught in schools? Every state requires specific courses such as Biology, Algebra and Communications. These subjects are taught in each and every single school in that state. With a fewer amount of teachers, it can be hard to fill those teaching positions.

On top of the core classes offered by schools, most schools offer electives that teach students life skills that they will need as they transition into  adulthood after their high school years. The elective courses that come to mind are Home Economics, Driver’s education or financial literacy classes. This will allow students to have the opportunity to learn necessary life skills that they are not getting at home. Schools should provide these courses or some form of an opportunity to provide students with these skills.

Schools are also expected to teach students about being responsible and having manners. However, more than half the year is spent at home. If parents are not maintaining the same standards, then students will not be maintaining the upkeep of these lessons. 

Schools have very strict policies when it comes to manners and responsibilities that a student must follow. For example, students must complete their homework as well as be respectful. If they fail to do so, there can be consequences such as detention, suspension or expulsion. But when students leave high school it is extremely unlikely that their consequences will be the same. If they fail to uphold their responsibilities at home, their punishment will not be taken to the extreme level that school does. 

Parents should be the ones teaching and guiding their children to have proper manners, as well as being responsible and respectful of others. Parents are with children from the time they are born and at least until they turn 18. Therefore they are with their children for most of their early lives. While schools should be striving to maintain and enforce these manners, it is still the parents’ job to start these skills at a young age to get them used to these manners.

Schools give students responsibilities, but parents should be giving their children more and more to be accountable for as they get older. The only way children are going to learn about being responsible is if they are held accountable for things within their home life as well as their school life, such as homework. However, parents/guardians have to initiate that start.  

            Parents/guardians should be teaching and making an effort to have manners and responsibilities taught within their households. Schools should be striving to make basic life skills a course or seminar to help students before their graduation day comes.