Skills that should be taught in public schools
I think most of schooling is geared toward teaching children how to be productive (money-making) adults in adult society, even if it doesn't always live up to that.
I think it falls short on a lot of education that could help us better manage life outside of work.
Repair skills - If you make good money, you can hire people to fix things for you, which is great. But like half of the U.S. is poor.
We need to know how to fix our cars, our furnaces, replace phone screens, troubleshoot problems with our washer & dryer or dishwasher, fix lawn mowers, TVs, and perhaps other things. Also need to know how to find parts and proper safety procedures (when do I wear a mask or eye protection?).
Medical/Health skills - When should you take a pill for pain? What does a healthy lifestyle look like? What are effective treatments for depression? How do I clean a wound and apply stitches? How do I apply a stint or perform CPR? What annual tests should I get at what ages? What are risks for osteoporosis? What causes/helps tummy issues? When are medical products useful, when are they a scam? How do sleep and sodium intake affect overall health? How do I get up-to-date medical information?
We need doctors and nurses - specialists who can handle the extreme cases. But a vast amount of needed medical care can be managed at home, and for a lot of people that care will be, whether we have trained these skills or not. Sometimes health care is too expensive, sometimes people are just stubborn and don't wanna go to doc. And if we have these skills, we can better know our limits. It shouldn't be a specialty program in order to learn how to care for the majority of baseline medical needs.
Home Care - Laundry, cooking, dishes. What are the risks for mold and how do you treat it? How do you change a furnace filter or install ducting? How do you insulate a basement? How do you replace a broken window or install a new door? Do you need a humidifier or dehumidifier? How to safely change wall outlets?
Creating - Woodworking, metal working, 3D printing (though I'm not a plastic fan), making pamphlets and flyers (for civic engagement!), and ... idk what else.
The general idea is that school should do more to teach us how to care for ourselves and our communities, rather than focusing just on work-related skills. (I forgot to mention parenting skills!)
I know there are programs for a lot of these things, but things like repair, medical, and home care should be part of the standard curriculum through elementary and high school, the same way math and reading are.