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Education is the key to the future of our great nation.  The only problem is, our kids are not learning everything they need to know for life after High School.  Well, we still have the three R’s…Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmatic, but it seems they are being replaced by more important things like Algebra and Biology. 

Now Algebra is something no hard-working American man or woman can survive in life today without knowing a little Algebra.  Let’s see, if X+1X -10Y = Z then how much does a loaf of bread cost in China? I had to take Algebra (as no doubt most of you did) and I asked my teacher in High School, what good was it anyway.  She gave me a long answer that I didn’t understand then and can’t remember now.  Somehow I graduated High School and went to work for many years.  At the age of 56, I decided to go to college and get that degree I passed up on way back then.  Low and behold, I ran straight into Algebra again.  As a 56 year old freshman I said to my instructor, “I have been out of High School for many years, was in the U.S. Air Force 20 years and not ONCE did I ever use Algebra, so why is it important to me now?”  Well, she gave me an answer I didn’t understand then and can’t remember now. As for Biology, I have not even once found a need to know how to dissect a frog.

My point is, I think there should be a class for High School Seniors called Life 101.  This class would be an elective class with no grade given.  No books, no homework and no boring teachers, only an adult moderator. The class would be held once a week, the Adult Monitor would arrange for speakers from a bank, for learning how to keep a checking and savings accounts, a local business owner to talk about how important keeping good credit would be, a Doctor or Nurse to talk about healthy living, a Law Enforcement Officer to talk about safe driving, obeying all laws and being a good citizen and any citizen over 65 could talk about being a good person and the importance of family.  The possibilities are endless. 

It seems that many young people today would rather send you a text than call you to give you a message or ask a question.  A good suggestion for a class would be verbal communication.  Have you tried to have a conversation with some of the youngsters of today?  Well, I think some of these classes would be of great help to our youth.  The results would be very informative and rewarding for them.  I wish there was something like this when I was 18, maybe I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.  How about you?