18 Things We Really, Really, Really Should Have Been Taught In School Instead Of The Pythagorean Theorem

Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community what practical classes they wish were actually taught in school. Unsurprisingly, people had a lot to say. Here are some of the best responses:

Some responses have been edited for length and clarity.

1. "Basic Human Decency 101. Teach people to put the toilet seat down after use, hold doors open for others, put the grocery cart away when you're done, smoke far away from non-smokers, don’t stand right behind someone at the ATM, don’t litter, use your turn signal, etc. Just basic human courtesy!"

2. "Self-defence (like wrestling) for each grade."

— icydragon56

3. "Financial literacy in the real world! How to pay a mortgage, manage debt, take out a loan, etc."

— lalalace1640

4. "Insurance. I know I have car insurance, but I don’t really know what that covers or means."

5. "Explaining how student loans work and how to make sure you’re not getting in over your head. Instead of calling college grads with debt lazy and whiny, we could have been taught how to actually handle finances properly and wouldn’t be in this position."

— melissab83

6. "Actual geography . Most people think it’s just memorizing countries, but mapping and geospatial thinking is so useful."

7. "Mental health. So many students have anxiety, depression, etc. and don’t know what’s going on with themselves. Even if someone doesn’t have a mental illness, their friends probably do, and it’s good to know how to help a friend."

— clairzeez

8. "American Sign Language. Even if people don’t retain most of what they learn, they'll at least know common signs to communicate with deaf people."

9. "Media literacy, like how to discern between factual and conspiracy content, fact-checking, and interpreting and researching political ads (who’s paying for this ad?!), and more."

— ericr1

10. "Online safety and awareness. So many young people are on social media now and don’t understand how many profiles are created for the use of scams and sexual predators. They don’t know how to spot them and consider declining the friend request because they're happy someone wants to be their 'friend.' It scares me."

11. "Diversity and identity-based courses. I think this would give people a lot more empathy."

— creative-shark-17

12. "How to navigate our effed up healthcare system."

— catmommy2018

13. "How to write a business plan. The math involved in cost vs. profits. How to present yourself to a bank to maximize your loan potential. We’d have more entrepreneurs and more successful local businesses this way."

14. "A course on interpersonal relationships and how to conduct yourself with various personality types. How to recognize an unproductive conversation or argument, conflict resolution, and basic social psychology."

— problematik

15. "Education in the trades: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, cooking, baking, etc."

16. "Basic car maintenance should be taught in high school drivers ed: how to change a tire, how to change the oil, how to change the air filter, etc."

— lizardlittle

17. "In-depth sex education. Not just the physical act of sex, but everything else surrounding sex (sex positivity, jealousy, rejection, and what a healthy relationship looks like)."

— blackbird68

18. "I think schools should ask each kid what they want to learn about and teach the topic, regardless of what it is (unless it's hacking, inappropriate content, etc.)."

What classes do you think should be taught in school? Share them in the comments below!