Editorial: Life skills part of school

I still have a small wooden stool my brother made in woodwork class years ago.

It has "use your nana" burned into it and heart-shaped cutouts in the sides.

These days it's used for all manner of things, including acting as a wee stepladder if I can't reach something. It's as sturdy now as it was when my brother made it as a teenager.

I still have the skills I was taught in sewing classes in my intermediate and high school years and it was in cooking class I learned to make an omelette.

My parents honed my life skills, but not every kid is lucky enough to have a mum who is an excellent seamstress or a dad who is a carpenter.

These skills I learned at school and at home have stood me in good stead, they are essential life skills which have helped to give me independence. They didn't just teach me the rudimentary skills of cooking an omelette, hammering a nail or sewing my own clothes, they taught me common sense, to figure out how to fix things for myself, to improvise.

These are attributes which have helped me in all facets of my life. If I have a problem I don't immediately ask someone else to fix it for me - I try to work it out for myself first, try to think about it logically.

It makes me sad to think that Kiwi kids of the future may not get the benefit of these skills if schools are forced to do away with what are now termed "specialist" subjects as a result of budget cuts. Since when did basic life skills become "specialist" skills? Probably the day schools had to start running like a business, supplementing their funding and income from school fees in other ways so they could afford to provide the likes of woodwork, cooking and sewing.

These classes have undoubtedly become more sophisticated and students will now be gaining even more benefit than I did as a youngster. Just like maths, English and science, these classes offer learning and help children choose their path in life, give them a sense of accomplishment, and teach them what they will need to know to survive as adults.

Let's hope our schools can save these classes. It would be nice to think that decades from now Kiwi kids will still be bringing home wooden stools. APN News & Media