Life Skills Education

Life Skills has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life”. They represent the psycho-social skills that determine valued behaviour and include reflective skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking, to personal skills such as self-awareness, and to interpersonal skills. Practicing life skills leads to qualities such as self-esteem, sociability and tolerance, to action competencies to take action and generate change, and to capabilities to have the freedom to decide what to do and who to be. Life skills are thus distinctly different from physical or perceptual motor skills, such as practical or health skills, as well as from livelihood skills, such as crafts, money management and entrepreneurial skills. Health and livelihood education can be designed to be complementary to life skills education, and vice versa.

At ConneXions, our class is comprised of 10 special needs students who are on certificate track. We prepare our students for life after high school. The students are taught lessons about money management, cooking, hygiene, job readiness skills, travel, daily living and how to make important life decisions. The Connexions Life Skills program offers our students the opportunity to take classes and participate in our world renowned arts program. The Life Skills Class travels extensively and affords the students to be exposed to real world life experiences.

Life Skills Education Staff

Last Name	First Name	Title/Department	E-Mail
Chase	Kenya	Therapeutic Aide, Life Skills
Grant	Terry	Assistant Teacher, Life Skills	TAGrant@bcps.k12.md.us
Green	Shanya	Assistant Teacher, Life Skills	SGreen@bcps.k12.md.us
Johnson	Dwyane	Teacher, Life Skills	DCJohnson@bcps.k12.md.us
Woodland	Nancy	Therapeutic Aide, Life Skills