It made me chuckle: “Summer is over, my kids are back to school!” So read the white-lettered, hand-painted inscription on the back window of a minivan expressing what I’m sure many parents are thinking: “I’m so happy to go back to a regular daily schedule.” On the other hand, maybe it was just the feeling that sharing the responsibility of educating their kids with their teachers is a blessing.

In either case, it made me reflect on the things we learn at school and how they contrast with the essential skills we need for life.

The world is an ever-changing place, but school curriculums are adapting slowly to these changes. Teachers expect parents to teach kids morals and life skills, but parents often find it difficult to get their offspring to listen to and accept the lessons. In the end, it doesn’t matter how we learn these skills, but that we learn them. To that end, I made a list of classes I wish I could have taken in school:

Learning 101: Does anybody remember the saying “Because I know what I don’t know, I’m smarter than the ones who know?” In today’s world, it’s more important to learn how to learn rather than simply teach knowledge. Knowledge can become outdated rapidly as science, technology, social behaviors and culture change. The need to learn and re-learn — the ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment — is just as important as purely remembering facts.

Thinking 101: Simply put, the ability to properly think cannot be overstated. It includes the ability to disseminate the proper information and learn how to ask questions, because if we know how to ask the right questions, we have a better chance of arriving at the right conclusions. Unfortunately, not enough emphasis is put on teaching proper logic, sequences of events and the other skills that allow not just high-IQ individuals but “the rest of us” to think through a situation by applying a systematic approach.

Finding the Truth 101: In today’s world, where we are literally inundated with information and even more misinformation, would it not be useful to learn how to cut through the noise to get to the essence; to learn how to spot and check for misinformation; to learn how to research and test for the truth?

Right and Wrong 101: Even if we master all these skills, we need to know how to distinguish right from wrong. Obviously, this is the core skill, one that has to do with moral values and the ability to judge with certitude even when the evidence is conflicting. Is it the parents’ responsibility to teach this? Sure. Can religion help? Yes. But schools emphasize it more? Possibly. It’s true that teachers and principals do this a great deal, but I wonder if an actual class on the subject could be developed.

Creativity 101: Can creativity be learned? Absolutely. This is a much-overlooked skill that is becoming more and more valuable. Creativity is not just something that is expressed in words, paintings or music. Creative solutions are becoming the norm in other areas, such as business and science. In this context, creativity refers to the ability to create rather than repeat. Sometimes it is referred to the ability to “think outside the box” — in other words, don’t be afraid to find your own answer, to go where nobody has gone before, to be judged, to be wrong.

Life Skills 101: It amazes me how much today’s young people know, but how little they can do. Today’s children are not afraid to tackle complex academic subjects, excel in arts and athletics and organize events etc, but they often fail when it comes to practical matters in which simple common sense or basic life and survival skills would come in handy. I’m talking about money management, household organization, planning ahead, making checklists, fixing things, why checking your smartphone every five minutes doesn’t necessarily make you smart. You get the picture.

Connectivity 101: It has become fashionable to talk about the interconnected world, yet we often fail to teach the basic connectivity between fields of knowledge and life skills, such as how understanding science makes you a better writer, how learning good English enhances your chances of succeeding, how proper manners will pay dividends, why math is essential even if you are not planning to become an engineer, why learning to draw has nothing to do with becoming a painter and how the concept of chemistry will be useful when tackling a painting project.

I have to go. I need time to learn new things.