Life 101
Posted at 11:12 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2008, in Uncategorized, and tagged idea.
This is an idea that I have been working on for quite some time, and since it should deliver me one of my future Pulitzers, I’d like to share it.
It is a federally-required high school course, called Life 101, taken in either the second-half of junior year (16 or 17 years old) or first half of senior year (17 or 18 years old). It would be a full semester, or two quarters, in length, which according to my educational upbringing, would be 20 weeks of instruction.
The first week will be an introduction and an overview, and the final week will be review and exam. The passing grade should be around 85 percent. I will assume there will be two weeks lost due to vacations (e.g., Thanksgiving, Spring Break, etc.), so I am presenting course material for 16 weeks.
Week 1: Introduction.
Week 2: Paying For College, Part 1. Applying for financial aid and scholarship programs, obligations and responsibilities, renewal, termination, etc.
Week 3: Paying For College, Part 2. Consolidation of student loan debt, loan forgiveness, tax implications.
Week 4: Getting A Job. Resumes and interviews, letters of interest, etc.
Week 5: Working. Occupations, office politics, sexual harassment, corporate structure.
Week 6: Buying A Car. Types of cars, purchase, lease, finance options.
Week 7: Auto Insurance. Coverage, collisions, deductibles.
Week 8: Rent. Rental agreements, security deposit.
Week 9: [Assume no class.]
Week 10: Buying A Home, Part 1. Realtors, previously-owned and new homes, foreclosure.
Week 11: Buying A Home, Part 2. Mortgages, home equity, lines of credit.
Week 12: Homeowners Insurance. Coverage, deductibles.
Week 13: Personal Finance. Checking and savings accounts, budgeting, banking, types of credit, cardholders agreement, minimum payment.
Week 14: Taxes. Local, state, federal.
Week 15: [Assume no class.]
Week 16: Investment. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds.
Week 17: Retirement & Saving. 401k, IRA, 529, etc.
Week 18: Personal Health. Health insurance, dental, disability, exercise.
Week 19: Civic Duties. Voting, elections, jury duty, local government.
Week 20: Review/Exam.
Note: I didn’t cover having children in the course, but I did include saving for education (529) within the retirement portion (week 17). I haven’t had any children (yet), so I am unsure how much material should be covered, or how many weeks that would take, but I am assuming that Baby 101 or Kids 101 probably should be its own course.
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February 6th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I wish this class was offered back in high-school.
shit, I’d take it right now.
February 6th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Yea, it doesn’t make much sense for it to be some secret everyone is supposed to find out along the way. How is this any less important than cooking and chorus?
February 6th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
great idea…..worthy of some awards no doubt. There are many people in there 30′s and 40′s who don’t know this stuff.
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