The 5 Most Important Things Kids Can Learn Right Now

In school, children in this country are losing ground every day. Parents struggle to understand links, upload protocols, Zoom rooms, mute buttons and why YouTube is now an educational channel. They’re called on to help with assignments they can’t even comprehend. It reminds me of my own powerlessness in high school when I was forced to solve for “x” — being humiliated by Mrs. Liebman, our Algebra teacher:

“Phyllis, how can you get a 60 on the test and a 54 on the RETEST?”

Damned if I knew. I just wanted to get the heck out of high school as fast as possible. Although I’m deeply grateful for the people who taught me to read and add, after sixth grade it was pretty much a blur and I graduated without knowing much about anything practical in life, like how to handle immense frustration, ignorant people, government forms, pay taxes, avoid debt, build community, and solve REAL problems (not what time a train leaving Chicago at 60mph would arrive at Union Station with three stops along the way).

Albert Einstein didn’t know his own phone number. When asked for it by a reporter, he got out the phone book, wrote it down and said:

“Why should I memorize something when I know where to find it?”

As we fret about our middle and high school students “not learning anything,” let’s reflect on the crucial skills and life lessons we can teach them right now, in real time.