For the past few weeks an assignment turned in by one of my seniors has been on my mind. A senior who was taking my one-semester journalism class wrote a column about being forced into adulthood. She was graduating midterm and had been looking for an apartment, trying to secure insurance, finish her FAFSA, apply to colleges and pay income tax. She wrote that at no time in her high school career did a class or a teacher ever explain how to navigate the real world. And you know what? She’s right.

Today it was completely evident that our soon to be adults have no idea how to really adult. I asked them if they knew what a credit rating was….crickets. I asked if they knew why the president gave a State of the Union Address? More crickets. I asked if any of them knew how to secure a loan to buy their first car? Crickets and puzzled looks.

The state of Indiana is too busy making sure that high school students can pass a standardized test and perform algebraic equations, that it has forgotten the students who will enter the workforce and need to be able to pay taxes, apply for loans and build a credit rating. These are important skills for any adult. Why is building a stable financial future less important than bubbling in dots on a form?

I went to school around Labor Day, got out around Memorial Day, did not have to make up snow days and when I graduated I could balance a check book, figure compound interest and knew how to apply for a loan. I had teachers who were respected and were left alone to do their jobs. When politicians got into the education business, the students paid the price.