The Most Useful Things Kids Learn in School Include Spelling, Cooking, and How to Write a Check?

Has anyone under 50 balanced a checkbook in the past 20 years?  According to this, most of us think it’s still a useful skill for some reason.

1,000 adults were asked about 15 skills kids learn in school, and how valuable each one is once you’re out in the real world.  Somehow, balancing a checkbook made the top five . . .

1.  Spelling.  Even though we all have spell check now, 95% still say it’s useful.

2.  Grammar, 94%.  Kids definitely aren’t using those rules while texting though.

3.  How to cook a basic meal, 93%.  You might still learn that in home ec.

4.  How to type on a computer, 93%.  So, not just using your index fingers.

5.  How to write a check or balance a checkbook.  92% think it’s still useful.

A few more old-school skills did surprisingly well:  88% think learning how to find a book in the library is important . . . 83% say sewing is too . . . and 81% think it’s still good for kids to learn cursive.

Only 74% think algebra is important . . . 71% said the same about memorizing all 50 state capitals . . . 55% think kids should still learn to climb a rope in gym class . . . and 54% think learning to play the recorder is useful.

As far as subjects go, we think math is the most useful in general, followed by English, science, social studies, and phys ed.

Math is also the one class we wish we’d paid more attention in.  That said, 1 in 5 people wish they’d zoned out and paid LESS attention in math.

(YouGov)