Ask the Architect

Kids need real-world education

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Q. I suggest, based on what I’ve had to learn the hard way, that schools teach classes on home construction, repairs, mortgages, financing, government relations, taxes and expenses. Kids have no idea what they’re in for, and considering how many years they work to earn a home, it ought to be taught. What do you think?

A. You may be smiling that I actually wrote about this after meeting you in your driveway while looking at your neighbor’s house. Between the pressure of leaving no child behind and making education quotas, I wonder if the education community would ever look around and say, “Ya know, our children need to learn real-world survival lessons.” I find it ironic that in discussing this topic with educators over the years, I have repeatedly heard, “We only have time to teach the basic ‘building blocks,’ just the foundation.” I smile and, like you, say “Exactly.”

Those construction analogies may have lost their true meaning, but buildings are such an important part of our lives. Besides shelter, they are the most expensive, sought-after and consuming parts of our precious time. Home ownership, construction knowledge for the average consumer, and how to ever get to own property is a gauge of our economy and a lifelong, sometimes fleeting dream for young people. Taking basic lessons about balancing a checkbook, how the economy works, interest rates, types of loans, shopping for a home, avoiding too-good-to-be-true offers and scams, consumer protection (or lack thereof) and making that a real-world educational experience should be taught to every teen. He or she may even discover the complexity of a community, organizationally, to understand how many different skills are needed just to get through a day.

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