8 Life Skill That Schools Should Teach

Photo+taken+by+Angelina+Vitale

Photo taken by Angelina Vitale

List of important adulthood items that should be addressed by the core Pennsylvania curriculum:

  • Insurance 
      • Car insurance: meet with an insurance agent to go over more information about your car, and what your plan will look like.
      • Health insurance: The most efficient way to buy health insurance is during the enrollment period which is November 1st to December 15th. You could also go to Healthcare.gov and apply through their website.
      • Homeowner’s insurance: Homeowner’s insurance is very vital. It consists of protecting both your home and its possession against damage or theft, and is a requirement for all mortgage company borrowers.
  • Credit/Credit Cards
      • People could apply for a credit card both online or through the bank. Those who prefer online would go to their bank’s web portal and apply by filling out the basic information about themselves. This same process goes for those who prefer going to the bank, except the online portion. For those who may not know what a credit score is, it is an analysis of a person’s credit file history which outlines a consumer’s creditworthiness. In other words, on the FICO Score scale of 300-850, the higher your score, the better. So if you apply for a credit card, you will more likely get accepted if you have a higher score. In order to keep a high score, payments will need to be paid on time. Late payments will result to a lower score.
  • Jobs/Interviews
      • Creating a portfolio
      • Handling different types of people with different types of questions (reading a person and knowing what is okay and not okay to say to them)
      • Important questions to ask the employer
  • Banking
      • Opening checking and savings accounts
      • Interest rates
      • Filling out deposit slips
      • Creating a budget
  • Financial Aid
      • For college, seniors have to fill out a financial aid form, but by the time they have to do it, they have no idea how. Most students find an adult who properly knows how to fill out the form and guide them through the process. 
  • Taxes
      • There are three main ways to start filing your taxes. These include: filling out an IRS form and mailing it, using tax softwares and filing taxes online, or hiring an accountant/tax preparer to file the taxes.
  • Planning for Retirement


  • How to Write a Check
    • Steps according to Huntington National Bank:
  1. Date the check. (For example: 10/26/20)
  2. Write who is receiving the check, or what the check is for. (For example: Electric Company)
  3. Write the payment amount numerically in the small box on the right of the check. (For example: $145.50)
  4. Write the payment amount in words. (For example: One hundred forty-five dollars and 50/100 with a line drawn until the end of the line)
  5. Write a memo. This includes why the check is being written. This is optional. (For example: October electric bill)
  6. Sign the check.