When I was a senior in high school, my Economy teacher asked the class to raise our hands if we had goals. Most students raised their hands. Then he asked us to keep our hands raised if we had our goals written down. I was surprised that I was the only person who kept my hand pointed towards the sky.

My teacher asked me where I kept my goals list, and how often I looked at it. I told him that it was in my backpack and offered to show it to him. He was both surprised and confused at this, and I thought for a second that I had given him the wrong answer.

That question in my Economy class was the only time goal setting was ever mentioned in my schooling. And even that lecture was only about 20 minutes- half of that day’s class period.

Goal setting is just one simple yet crucial concept that isn’t often taught in schools, even on a basic level.

Traditional education systems are comprised of assigned reading, homework, verbal presentations, and test-taking. These tasks may be important in the learning process, but how can students apply these methods to real-life situations? They are at a disadvantage without having fundamental skills that will serve them throughout life.

From the Classroom to the Real World

I am one of the rare and lucky few that learned goal setting from my parents. But what about those who didn’t? Most people go through school doing what teachers tell them to do, and are rewarded for it.

How far can we expect students to go if they are never taught how to forge their own path?

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” Tom Peters

We need to start teaching our children real-world lessons at a much earlier age. Instead of letting so many young people stumble and fall, why don’t we set out to give them better footing on their journey?

There need to be major upgrades to our required curriculum in the public school system. For example, how to determine goals and create action plans for achieving success. We should be teaching teens how to balance a budget and complete a tax return. Without these basic abilities, we are essentially throwing these kids into the deep end and expecting them to swim, even though we never taught them how.

Just a handful of simple implementations in public schools can lessen the hardships of poverty for generations to come.

The majority of high school graduates say they feel unprepared for college and life. 40% of college freshmen are taking remedial courses, even if they performed well in high school. This is costing each student and their family an average of $3,000 in additional college tuition. Most of which is adding to the $1.5 trillion student loan debt crisis.

“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”

― Bruce Lee

In America’s public schools, children are told to read the material given, turn in their homework, and study for tests. These continuous actions should reward them with good grades and advancement to the next level.

But what happens when children grow into adults?

As young adults get released into the big broad world, they realize there isn’t usually a clear path to follow. There’s no specific curriculum. Materials are not supplied, and there is no report card to tell them how they’re doing. The majority of young adults don’t have a clue how to determine what they want or what direction to follow.

This is why only a small percentage of people pursue their dreams. Even a smaller percentage actually achieve them.

There is a lack of information available to our youth. That youth is our future. How can we expect someone to know something that we are not taking the time to teach them?

“The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead” -Aristotle

There is a massive disconnect between what we are taught as children and what is expected of us as adults. It's time to start giving our future generations a better chance at success. A six-figure higher education should not be required.

These are just a few examples of how we can start to overhaul our broken system. The traditional education system is archaic, and I hope it gets a much-needed upgrade soon.

If you are a parent, I urge you to take the time to begin teaching your children these simple basics at a young age. It is never too soon to start.

Remember, we are not raising children, we are raising adults.