Warrior Online: Textbook Knowledge Is Not Enough for MCPS students

Sherwood High School's Online Student Newspaper:  Textbook Knowledge Is Not Enough for MCPS students

by Bridget Cook ’14 and Daniel Hatfield ’13

Sherwood prides itself on offering and encouraging an abundance of highly advanced courses which are advertised as beneficial for the future. However, classes that don’t focus on typical “college-ready” subjects but more practical subject matter are treated as inferior or unnecessary. If students are not equipped with basic real-world skills such as personal finance preparedness and an understanding of the economy as well as drivers education, they are hardly benefited.

Today, there is an alarming lack of financial literacy taught in school. It’s commonly argued that the subject matter is useless, and kids will pick up basic money management skills on their own. However, true financial literacy is much more than just knowing how to balance a checkbook. It is in-depth knowledge of how the economy operates, how to make intelligent monetary decisions and how to handle debt and taxes.

Currently, only one financial literacy course is offered at Sherwood. What’s worse is that it’s mainly intended for seniors who fail other math classes, and is rarely considered by most students. Teaching the mechanics of money in today’s faltering economy should be a top priority for schools. Financial literacy should not be viewed as a last resort or a class for underachievers, but emphasized as a chance to gain valuable knowledge outside the textbook.

Drivers Education faces a similar situation regarding its prominence in Montgomery County schools. The in-school Driver’s Education program was eliminated from MCPS around the mid-90s to supposedly cut costs...continues here.