Let’s Teach ‘How to People’

What if school actually taught us how to be good people?

Because yes, sure, algebra and the mitochondria and sentence diagramming—fine, I get it, there’s a place for that, but you know what would’ve helped me way more in life?

Knowing how to deal with a panic attack.

Or how to file taxes.

Or how to have a healthy disagreement without spiraling into fight-or-flight or just ghosting someone forever.

Like. Life skills. Basic ones.

Why didn’t we learn how to cook something besides grilled cheese or microwave ramen? Why wasn’t there a class called “How to Talk to Customer Service Without Crying”? Or “How to Tell if You’re in a Codependent Relationship”? Or “How to Say ‘No’ Without Apologizing for Existing”?

Imagine if we had “Emotional Regulation 101” instead of being told to “calm down” in the hallway. What if there was a class where the homework was just… noticing how you feel, writing it down, and not judging it?

Can you imagine?

Let’s teach budgeting.

Let’s teach “How to Take Care of Your Body That Isn’t Built Like a Textbook Diagram.”

Let’s teach “How to Spot Manipulation in a Job Interview” or “How to Talk About Grief Without Changing the Subject.”

Let’s teach consent.

Let’s teach boundaries.

Let’s teach how to love yourself without having to earn it first.

Oh—and let’s teach how to rest.

That one’s huge.

Not just nap time, not “you get ten minutes after the test,” but actual, full-body, full-soul rest. Like you’re allowed to exist without producing something. You can be tired, and that’s not a moral failure.

What should we teach in school?

How to human.

Not how to memorize dates. Not how to compete until you burn out. How to show up for yourself and others, a little bit more whole.

A bit more true.

A little bit more, okay.

That would’ve changed everything.

Still could.