How else are you going to know the length of the third side of the triangle after already measuring the other two??? HOW??? TELL ME!!!

How would you expect teachers to tell you how to buy a house or car, do taxes, balance a checkbook or bank?  They do not get paid enough to have done any of those things.

And you want school to tell you how to vote?  That's only slightly less insane than wanting NRA recruited volunteer armed guards patrolling your school.

So how should someone learn how to buy a house or car, do taxes, and balance a checkbook?

On the streets, like the rest of us have done?

I never learned to write checks and balance a checkbook in high school because they taught it in 4th grade.   It was in a program called banking math (or something since it's been so long). 

I need to go back and take fourth grade checkbooking.

Or maybe not.  My wife does the checkbook and there's very few checks as we do all electronic nowadays. 

Still need to do reconciliation even if there are no paper checks.

This post is the exact problem with the school system. 

We should not replace pythagorean theorem with "how to get the mortgage class"

Education should be such that getting the mortgage is a skill, which is easy to obtain after you know pythagorean theorem.

Great point, Sergey. It's not an either/or. We should learn both!

Plus, the Pythagorean Theorem is easy once you see this:

Actually, for state run education, I do agree that we should provide our students/citizens more education toward the basic of American adulthood.  It should not replace a classic education, but when looking at the poor statistics of family life of the average student, the society should recognize that parents are not teaching their children to do these things.  I find it reasonable discussion to be had.  There are legit concerns on both sides and then ever worrisome opinions that are also expressed in education.  

Agreed, "Learn to Be an American" seems as relevant a class as "Health" or "Social Studies".

How prophetic of you today, was just writing about that exact same thing. Thank you, Luke, for being willing to pay me more. I'd actually give back 10K if people would give me some peace of mind--get rid of the micromanaging, conflicting curriculum, insane blame game that my beloved field has become and let me teach like I did in The Day.  

That being said, I teach all those things. Except the Pythagorean Theorem. I have had the occasion to use it once or twice in my real life, and when I did, I jumped up and down for joy. Balance a checkbook--does anyone use those anymore:)  Credit scores--there's where it's at. I show the impact of buying a rent-a-center TV or carrying a balance... I have done home buying, mortgage crisis, all those real-life skills, and how college loans will bury you. None of these are in my curriculum. So, I get stuck doing trivia lessons to catch up there in favor of these things people really need and use. 

Yes, I'd give back 20K and grow my own food to just be able to stand up there and take the time to do the teaching that really mattered without having to worry about metrics, standardized curriculum, tests that do very little but punish....I surely would:) 

Dawn, I think I need to take a class from you!

Build me a school. You can pay me in pizzas. I don't chew gum:) 

I don't think basic trigonometry is a good example of  an esoteric school skill, as it's periodically useful forever assuming you bake, or do carpentry, or ever order materials.

I've used Pythagoras in various mundane ways from time to time, but more importantly I've used it in aid of that most vital application of knowledge; winning a domestic argument.

We're living in a small 1BR apartment.  The living room is one of those stupid rooms  with every wall broken up by doors and windows, so all furniture is a juggle.  I order a big TV.  Wife says "There's no way a TV that size will fit in that corner".  I say "Pythagoras disagrees".Fortunately, for a guy who died 2000+ years ago, Pythagoras knew a remarkable amount about large TVs.

Perhaps when Khan Academy is done with school videos, they can tackle life skills!

Fantastic idea, Chris. Wish I had video production skills:) That'd be a fun project. 

I've actually started putting together a list of things in a "Yeh Academy" that I want to teach my kids!

Would love to see that--actually, you could make that into quite an heirloom/piece of family heritage.