If American schools were COMPLETELY redesigned to teach genuinely useful things and produce successful graduates what would they teach?

first all forms of mathmatics...the universe runs on mathmatics and is a universal language. English grammer...it is most important how to communicate properly History...You do not know where you are going if you do not know where you have been. Literature...To know the arts what others have to say and how they say them. The proper use of tools because it takes tools to keep the production of the things we commonly use in life available. Learning to work wood, sheet metal, welding, and hydraulics to name just a few and note...every subject mentioned above requires a common knowledge of each subject. Sadly today teaching has to take too many detours and produce too many ill equiped adults to properly deal with life today. Society forms and transforms what and who we become. Computers are good tools but not a way of life. Most schools no longer teach how to work with our hands but only how to press keys on a keyboard. There will be a day when there will be no more workers with the abilities to manufacture or repair. Where will the world be in that day? These are the words of an old educater who is sad seeing the way things are going.

There needs to be more "hands on". Students should be given the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge they are acquiring.

I won all my spelling bees! But really the only thing I got from it was bullied. "Hey dork...*whack* why are you so smart, dork.*whack* Why don't you spell it out for me." *whack* They would probably teach with more discipline and more emphasis on critical thinking and not so much just memorization.

You have several questions in one. I will answer your first question. Americans should teach critical thinking skills in all subjects, not just reading.

Maybe schools would teach mowing lawns to those who like to mow, flying planes to those who like to fly, shooting guns to those who like to shoot, etc., etc., etc. Who knows about the unusual students. Maybe the class clown had to hit rock bottom before she/he got it together. Maybe Cindy was over-confident. I don't know if all that math would really need to be taught. I wonder if computers would be needed as much.

Because corporations like people that can pack a bunch of usless facts and proceedures in their heads, and spit them out on command. What you might call a ROBOT.

You would take well rounded courses focused on your discipline as well as complementary courses all focusing on commonalities. After the required hours there would be a degree. But then there would be certification. Your degree would be worthless unless you passed a master test. Too many people take a major like business without an idea of the work involved. Certification for business would involve finance, accounting as well as core marketing/business factoids. You would be able to choose as many certifications as desired. Just have to pass the test. A majority of degrees mean you passed time. You don't necessarily know anything until you spend time in a business. And usually it is a toss-up what you will focus on depending on what the business's needs are.