Ahhh, high school. For some people, those four years are the best years of their entire lives. For others, high school can be a nightmare, something to be forgotten the second it’s over. But whether you loved or hated high school, you’d likely agree that it didn’t prepare you for the real world nearly as well as it could’ve.

I went to a public high school back in the 1990s. And, for the past fifteen years, I’ve been working as a counselor at a private high school. The two schools couldn’t be more different, but they do have one thing in common: the education leaves a lot to be desired.

Much of what we learn in high school, we’ll never use. I’ve been waiting twenty years for a chance to put some of that algebra I learned to good use, for example. Not once have I ever needed it. What’s even worse than learning stuff you’ll never use, a lot of what’s taught in school is flat-out wrong. Christopher Columbus and the Pilgrims immediately come to mind, but that’s just scratching the surface.

So, what should be taught in high school? What subjects could be taught that would help to better prepare students for life after high school?

1. Nutrition

We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” While you might not turn into a tomato after eating one, there’s a lot of truth to that statement. What you put in your body determines how you look, how you feel and, over time, how likely you are to develop a variety of illnesses.

You’d think that students would be taught at least a little bit about nutrition in school. Nearly one third of school-age children are overweight or obese. And, for adults, it’s closer to two thirds. In spite of these troubling numbers, students aren’t taught about basic nutrition.

2. Fitness

Did I mention that a third of students are obese or at least overweight? The other side of the obesity coin, in addition to nutrition, is physical fitness. In a world where we’re getting less and less active in our daily lives, it’s becoming more and more important that we teach our kids about fitness.

Now I’m not talking about Phys Ed class, where you’re handed a bunch of balls and told to throw them at each other for forty-five minutes straight. I’m talking about teaching students about real exercises they can use to stay in shape for the rest of their lives. Resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, stretching – these kinds of things.

3. Law

As citizens of a civilized society, we’re expected to follow all of its laws. There’s only one problem: No one ever taught us what those laws actually are!

We all know that it’s against the law to kill and steal. But do you know how to file a patent or a petition? Do you know what your rights are if you get evicted?

There is a lot to know when it comes to the law. A class going over the laws in the country and in your state could save students a lot of potential trouble later in life.

4. Finance

Money may be the root of all evil, but it’s also necessary if you want to survive in society. Unfortunately, we’re never taught how to save, invest, or spend it responsibly.

Finance should be taught to all high school students. They should learn how to balance a checkbook, do their taxes, bank online, and take care of other financial responsibilities. It’s also important to teach students about avoiding scams and making smart decisions with their money.

5. Critical Thinking

All throughout grade school, we’re taught what to think but we’re not taught how to think. Teachers don’t like students to question them and we’re taught to just believe everything we’re told without thinking about things critically. This leaves students unprepared to make good decisions when they’re out in the real world.

I didn’t learn to think critically until I was in college and, only then, because I studied philosophy. Before then, I believed all kinds of silly things because people said they were true. Now, I know how to form my own opinions based on logic, reason, and facts.

In my opinion, critical thinking is the most important subject on this list. If you don’t learn how to think for yourself, you’re destined to spend your whole life as a sucker. Students should spend at least a year learning how to form valid arguments, separate fact from fiction, and think about the world around them with a critical eye.

6. Medicine

The average American can probably tell you more about their smartphone than about their own body. Most people don’t know know anything about how their bodies work.

At least a year of basic medicine should be taught in high school – at least. It should include anatomy and physiology, CPR and first aid, common health problems, some medical terminology, and other essential information. And, additionally, students should be taught how to navigate the medical system.

Dealing with insurance companies, taking care of referrals, and everything else can be confusing and sometimes overwhelming. It shouldn’t be. If students were taught how to navigate the healthcare system, they’d be in a much better position to get the best care possible.

7. World History

I don’t remember learning very much about world history in high school. What I do remember is being taught about American history. Apparently, the United States is absolutely perfect because I don’t recall ever hearing anything even remotely critical of the good ol’ US of A.

Of course American history is going to be taught with a positive spin – when it’s being taught in America, at least. But it shouldn’t come at the expense of learning about real history. If students aren’t taught about world history, they’ll never understand current events.

A year of world history – real world history – would do a lot of good for American high school students. Teach them about different cultures, the consequences of war, how governments work, and how the world came to be the way that it is. It would give them such much-needed perspective.

8. Research

This could probably be taught in a single semester. When I was in college, all freshman were required to take a one-credit class about how to use the library. It taught us how to find books, access scientific journal databases, and how to find good information. That short class opened up all kinds of educational doors.

High school students should be taught how to find good information. With a smartphone in each of their pockets, students have access to an unbelievable amount of information. Unfortunately, a lot of it is crap.

In addition to being taught how to find good information, students should be taught how to spot bad information. They should be taught about search engine optimization (SEO), the tactic that websites use to get on the front page of Google. Just because something comes right up when you search Google for it doesn’t mean it’s accurate. It just means that the website owner knows how to manipulate Google’s algorithm. A short class on how to do research will set students up to find good information for the rest of their lives.

9. Politics

I’m not talking about propaganda-filled social science class. I’m talking about a class that teaches students about the way politics really work.

High school students are taught about the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. But they’re not taught about the lobbying and corruption behind how those branches actually work. Students should learn not only about how the government works on paper, but also how it works in actual practice.

Students should also learn about state, local, and third-party politics. I barely knew anything about my own state or town government until I took a local government class in college. And students aren’t taught that there are other political parties besides the two that currently dominate our system.

It’s important for students to learn about how their government works on the local, state, and federal level. Even a half-year class would go a long way to improving their understanding of politics.

10. Entrepreneurship

You graduate from high school and then you either go to college, join the military, or go into the workforce. That’s what I was always taught, anyway. But now I know that there is a fourth option: entrepreneurship.

High school students should learn about how to start their own business and pave their own way through life without having to work for someone else. I’m sure most students would still prefer to pursue conventional sources of income, but they should at least be taught about entrepreneurship.

How do you form an LLC? How do you patent in idea? How do you write a business proposal? These are all questions that students should be taught the answers to. By teaching high school students about entrepreneurship, you give them another way to earn money. More and more people are looking for “side hustles” to supplement their incomes and teaching entrepreneurship would help students to start their own businesses.

Conclusion

There are a lot of important subjects that aren’t taught in high school but should be. I could probably come up with five or ten more, but these are among the most important subjects not being seriously taught in school.

The single best thing that could be done to improve this country would be a complete overhaul of education. Get rid of all the unnecessary crap, all the nationalist propaganda, and just teach students stuff that they need to know to thrive in today’s world. Within one generation we could Make America Smart Again, but only if we start teaching students what they need to know.