This is an interesting topic. First off, I completely agree with you that common core is crap. I really think there needs to be a bifurcated education system. So, a theoretical and application system. One side, we need to teach things like, how to read well, how to write well, how to use math and so on. But, we also need a to teach children and young adults, how to read effectively, how to write effectively and how to use math as a tool. While I don't regularly utilize the formula for the area of a circle or the Pythagorean theorem, I have found that the principles of those have followed me in to the regular world and taught me how to troubleshoot non mathematical problems.

Now on to the the meat of what you were saying. I do think that more time needs to be spent on educating children and young adults on life skills and emotional awareness. Understanding the real consequences of poor decision making. Now back in the dark ages when I went to high school. They had classes like this, they weren't everything, but they taught us to build a budget with our "spouse", manage child care, manage jobs and layoffs, kind of a crash course in the marriage. We were also forced to go through a divorce, which was interesting. While even that was probably not enough, I think it is more than is given now. I think it would be interesting that as junior high students and high school students progress, that they were encouraged engage in more self awareness classes. Stuff that is going to allow them to grow a little and maybe save them a world of hurt when life get real a couple years down the road.