All of you that are bringing up the fact that students might not pay attention in these other suggested classes are forgetting the simple fact that it would be and is a constant between these academic preparation classes and the suggested real life preparation classes. Students already don't pay attention in their mathematics, science, and history classes.
I'm all for classes that teach things a little more practical for real life than, say, calculus. Don't get me wrong; I love math. But do you really need it? Probably not. Students struggle to see the point of most of the subjects, because there really isn't any point for a lot of them, unless you were to actually pursue a career in that particular field.
Take history for example. Do we really need to know how long the American Revolution lasted? I'd much rather learn about why the American Revolution was fought, the perspectives of the opposing sides, and how it eventually ended. Schools should be adding a lot more emphasis on learning from history, instead of learning about history.
It's possible to point out pages upon pages of flaws in the curriculum of today's schools, and anyone who tries to say otherwise simply isn't looking. There's a lot to improve, and I think adding some courses to help prepare for real life would help solve at least one of those problems.