Do you ever find yourself questioning your sanity while sitting in class? Does your mind ever wander to the common question of “when will I ever need to know this after high school?” Well, imagine if there were more classes here at Village that would teach students skills applicable to everyday life.

     After participating in a short survey, students here at Village believe a basic general mechanic course should be offered as an elective. A near unanimous vote identifies that students feel as though they are not learning enough life skills while in high school. With the backing of both Village staff and students, that could all change.

     Most of us have either heard of or seen people stranded on the side of the road forced to call a tow truck because they don’t know how to change a flat tire. There’s no reason why a physically capable adult shouldn’t be able to at least maintain his or her own form of transportation. From bicycles to trucks, there’s a lot of crossover when it comes to diagnosing and fixing issues. Theoretically, if one could change a tire on a bike, he or she would be able to do almost the exact same thing in order to change a car tire. With just a few weeks if simple instruction, almost any student or staff member could become well- versed in the most basic of automotive and bicycle related repairs.

There are a handful of other high schools that have already instituted a basic automotive curriculum. A course like this would answer common questions pertaining to repairs such as, How do I repair a damaged tire or know when it is not repairable?, How do I repair brake system problems?, What do I need to know to maintain the battery/starting and charging systems? A basic curriculum like this would be taught over the corse of one to two semesters and could vastly improve the real-world application of what one learns in high school.