Yeah but things need to change. The current schooling is designed for kids to sit in a chair quietly and try not to squirm while reading shakespear. IMO, it benefits girls far more than boys. It's why girls do better in school for the most part. They are more organized with hand writing and paperwork and aren't as mechanical in building, foraging, and outdoors man type of things. Generally speaking. So give that boy more ADHD meds because he can't sit still and focus... instead of teaching him skills like mechanics, robotics, ect, where he's more suited to be successful. Ohh well he can't sit there and go to college so he will be a failure.... nevermind that he would have made an amazing tradesman if they had shown him a better way.
While parents should be teaching their kids, not all of them have mechanical skills, time, and understanding either, because they didn't learn it either. Hell I know some friends who grew up with a single mom and still don't even know how to fish....
And he'll, if many of them aren't even getting fed (muh free school lunches - debate) which it probably should be free honestly, than how are parents going to teach the kids real beneficial outdoor skills and self defense if they don't have those skills either?
While I can't speak for every state, I can speak for Tennessee. Most of our male students either graduate with enough college credits to cover an entire semester of college (or more) OR they graduate with a certification in welding, HVAC, automotive, robotics, and several other trades. Even the females have the opportunities to study cosmetology and other skills. Many students graduate with both college credits and vocational training. In our school, any excuse for not being setup for postsecondary life is strictly on the students and the parents. Every student meets with the advisors often throughout their entire high school career to explore their opportunities.
The education that you described is dated, and there's been a push for several years (my entire decade) to change that. Classrooms have moved more towards project-based learning and away from lecture style. I am guilty of leaning a lot on lecture, but I mix it up. It's hard to teach 30 students at one time on with reading levels ranging from above grade level all the way down to a 2nd grade reading level (I teach juniors and seniors mainly). I would rather over-prepare those not going to college than under-prepare those that are by teaching the way our teachers taught us.
All that to say, I don't think teaching "outdoor man type things" has a place in education. Our nation's education as a whole is lacking. Teaching a kid how to fish isn't going to help. Parents reading to their kids while they're children and being active parents will help more than anything.
Edit: For reference, I teach at a rural county high school with a school population of over 1,100 students. And, because of the income level of our students, we qualify for free breakfasts and lunches for every student.
