"Life Skills" Week-Ideas for Teachers and Kids

I realized recently that most teenagers today don't know how to address or mail a letter! Help me out...I'm going to try to enlighten my students on a few "life skills". What else have you observed that teens are missing out on???

•  Looking up a # in a phone book.
• They don't know how to write checks or address and prepare for an interview.
• How to shake hands and introduce themselves! How not to apply for a job with chipped nail polish and hooker earrings! I am sure I will come up with more.
• Or compose a resume for that matter.
• Most teens don't know how to address and mail a letter! Life Skills 101 is needed!

  Ask your parents or grandparents what they thought our generation couldn't do when we were teenagers.
• Count change back without using the cash register or calculator.
• They do not understand how to plan a simple monthly budget based on their earnings. They also need to not wear flip flops to an interview.
• The debit card has pretty much solved this but writing a check and balancing a check book. You would not believe the adults that can't do this!  Also, they need to respect adults.
• Cell phone etiquette and social media etiquette are important. Although that's probably a class by itself.
• Yes, counting change back. I actually had someone at Sonic the other day ask me what 20 minus 12 was. I think we have a problem.
• Shake hands and look someone in the eye and use their nonverbal body skills to convey and exhibit positivity and confidence.
• Using a dictionary instead of Google
• Start with the alphabet. So many high school students were amazed at how easily they could locate information in a book's index. Some truly didn't know it was alphabetical as they had not used an index before.

  
  

  Graphic Source: https://utextension.tennessee.edu/hamilton/Pages/Life_Skills.aspx

  More Skills: http://mrscjacksonsclass.com/