I agree with Brielle Black; teens of this generation are much less independent than those of previous generations. I am very reliant on technology to help me with menial tasks in my everyday life. For instance, right now as I am type this, I rely on spell check to fix my mistakes. I fear that the ­accessibility to such powerful technology will lead to our downfall.

In her article, Brielle described an “updated home ec class.” I wouldn't mind a class like that, or even a mechanics class. I agree that it's necessary to know how to do something more practical than graphing a polynomial function. The school system ­focuses too much on academics, rather than on the necessities our parents and grand­parents learned in order to survive.

Thank you, Brielle, for addressing this problem.