They need to be able to communicate, both comprehending and writing language. They need to have really good ethics, punctual, all of those things. And they need to be drug free. Half of these directly reflect social skills, essentially understanding what society deems as right from wrong. The prospect of having schools teach this makes many people queasy, including Axtell.
Schools have enough to do as it is.
Yet, it is critically important to her. Officially, the state Board of Education endorses teaching social skills and many schools already broach the subject in some form. Peggy Gaskill, director of the Michigan Center for Excellence in Middle Level Education, defends the policy. The idea is used in the lifeskills assemblies at Central Lake, the focus room at Glenn Loomis Elementary in Traverse City and peace mentor programs at countless other schools in which students themselves help settle disputes. These sorts of social skills are important to employers.