Unit 3, Listening 1, “Adulting” School

 

“Adulting” School

Professor:           OK, so how many of you are Millennials? Remember that people in this category were born between the early 1980s until about the early 2000s. If you are a Millennial, can you raise your hand? Yeah, a lot of you are. You learned from this week’s reading that Millennials are generally associated with an increased familiarity with digital technologies and that they tend to have a stronger sense of community, both local and global, than previous generations. However, some research suggests that Millennials may not be learning some of the survival skills that their parents know. So, a couple of entrepreneurs in Portland, Maine, have come up with a school that targets precisely those of you who put up your hands—Millennials. They claim that many Millennials haven’t learned many of the practical life skills they need to be successful adults. We’re talking about things like searching for a job, buying insurance, saving for retirement, healthy eating, minor car repairs, buying a home, that sort of thing. They call these skills “adulting,” basically living as an adult.

Now, you might guess by looking at me that I am not a Millennial. In fact, I was born in 1972, so that makes me Generation X. And, a lot of people my age, a lot of Gen Xers, really wonder why “adulting” lessons are necessary. I mean, I learned how to “adult” from my parents and from classes in school. If I don’t know how to do something, I find a video online. For instance, recently I wanted to make pickled[1] jalapenos with peppers from my garden. I learned how to pickle vegetables from my grandmother, but it’s been about 20 years, so I watched a video on YouTube. So, you can see how it might be confusing to people my age why Millennials would pay a monthly fee for these lessons.

Before you guys weigh in, and I want to hear from Millennials and Gen Xers and Baby Boomers in the class, too, let’s watch a brief video about the “Adulting” School set up by Katie Brunelle and Rachel Weinstein that combines adult skill development with fun, social events. Then I’ll open the floor for some class discussion on the topic.

Unit 3, Listening 1, Part 2, Activities A and B. Video also available on iQ Online.

Page 56, 57

Katie Brunelle: How to fold a fitted sheet[2].

Teacher 1:           Those two corners together. So what I end up with is kind of a halved sheet.

Rachel Weinstein: If you get a flat tire, how to put on the spare and get to, get yourself where you’re going.

Brunelle:             Being healthy with basic exercising and nutrition skills.

Weinstein:         Knowing to start your retirement fund early so that you can take advantage of compound interest.

Brunelle:             Keeping things alive, whether it’s your plants or your children or your pet.

Weinstein:         Anyone who is over 18, 22, is an adult. And it’s just a matter of how well are you adulting.

Heather Noe: I came from a generation where our public school system pushed for, you could be whatever you want to be. The sky’s the limit. Just go to college and everything’s going to be great. You can just go for whatever you want to be and dream as big as you possibly can.

What I’m hoping to take away from any of the courses that I will be attending in the Adulting School is filling in any gaps that I feel like I have. I was never told anything about credit score or the weight of having to pay back student loans or I have no idea how to buy a house or even how to really get started outside of looking online at pretty houses that seem wonderful and totally out of reach.

Brunelle:             We offer, kind of, you know, what do you do with your debt? How can you budget and live on the income that you’re bringing in? We’re basically sneaking[3] education into these fun events.

Teacher 1:           You are going to fold your fitted sheet.

Teacher 2:           I want each and every one of you to understand that from birth, you are wired to do value a certain way. So when you leave here tonight, you will know yourself better than you ever knew yourself before. That’s pretty cool. She’s excited.

Weinstein:         This generation has been encouraged to think outside the box. And that’s a beautiful thing, but it comes with some challenges because if you don’t have a circumscribed[4] path to follow, you know, you have to figure it out yourself.

Noe:      To me, it seems like the Adulting School is basically a really jazzed-up[5] version of adult ed, which we’ve had for a really long time.


[1] pickled: adjective preserved in vinegar

[2] fitted sheet: noun a large piece of thin cloth with round corners that is used on a bed

[3] sneak: verb to do something secretly

[4] circumscribed: adjective limited

[5] jazzed-up: adjective made more interesting or exciting

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