Without getting too much political etc but having grown up in Germany with its school system and having now a daughter in an US high school I think the US school system should be the opposite of what you want - less “practical useful skills” and more focus on strong academics
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There are loads of places to pick up practical skills outside of school. Many are learned simply by doing. The best chefs in the world probably started scrubbing pans, prepping vegetables, and other boring jobs, always watching what those on the next rung up were doing. They did not all go to cooking schools, either. Because necessity is the mother of invention, if you want to acquire good knife skills, take a pile of anything and little time to cut it up and less forgiveness for sloppy or wasteful work.
To @Aubergine’s concern, I think that at least in the USA, for too many people certain tasks are just not viewed as appropriate or important. Plus, far too many of us are willing and able to pay others to do things we can do for ourselves. Somehow most boys grow up knowing how to change tires and oil and mow lawns, and many girls grow up being expected to acquire basic cooking, laundry, and cleaning skills. What a lopsided world we still have. We should all know how to do all of these and gladly pitch in and help. I went to very academically demanding schools yet learned all of the above outside of school. Thanks to YouTube I am still learning and trying new things.
You Tube is great. I never learned how to change a tire. I’ve watched it done. No one taught my daughter but one time she needed to do it, said she read instructions inside the wheel area or something.
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Trivia: the house they used for the filming used to belong to friends of my parents.
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I have a big soft spot in my heart for Baltimore. That city has such tremendous soul. I am glad I lived in an era in which I could experience nickel Cokes at Hutzler’s and the mind-blowing experience of ordering dinner at Haussner’s. Although I love the Ravens (what’s not to love about the show that is Lamar and King Henry?), I enjoy the shots of the inner harbor almost as much.
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Haussner’s is gone, razed, and replaced by a nondescript apartment building. Sadly, I know of no other such spectacle, or German restaurant at all, in the city. Hutzler’s tea rooms (both downtown and Towson) were a treat, the cokes and the shrimp salad on cheese bread toast. There’s a restaurant in Catonsville that has the shrimp salad sandwich; a couple of bakeries in town make their version of the cheese bread - which Hutzler’s sold in their bakery. For those unfamiliar: Hutzler’s was the fanciest of Baltimores department stores - they had everything including furniture, appliances, and a knitting/yarn/shop.
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DW is a B’more girl - bought her wedding dress there.
when Hutzlers closed somebody bought up their ‘stuff’ and sold it on-line… so I got this for her.
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Tin Men was filmed in Baltimore; have you seen it?
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Yes!
Barry Levinson was born and grew up in Baltimore. Tin Men is one of several movies that take place in the Baltimore of his youth. Diner has locations and characters I’m actually familiar with. He also went to the same summer camp I went to; I’ve heard he’s had reunions there; I’ve never been invited. 
(he’s older than I am )
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Someone once told me that in every Barry Levinson movie you should actually wait out all the credits … there’s an extra little scene.
Go back and watch Planes Trains & Automobiles. This and Tin Men are top favorites of mine. (I love the incredibly romantic song of Frank Sinatra played here: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. I can listen to it on repeat.
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I adore my Global, and it is the most expensive knife I’ve ever bought. I do use the honing steel each time I use it, and have it sharpened professionally about once a year, even tho a dear friend gifted me a spiffy electric sharpener 
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Did you see the photo of the orange i supremed? I was pretty proud of myself. I just bought a second one for my best friend, I knew he’d never buy for himself. I already gave it to him; I know he couldn’t wait to start using it.
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It’s a great knife. I use it almost exclusively for any cooking prep.
IMO you should always watch the credits, to the end when the lights come on and they start corralling popcorn buckets. It bugs me that most streaming channels cut off the credits just a few moments in. Also, I sooooo relate to Diner, so very like my own life. And yes, The Wee Small Hours is Frank at his finest.
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Totally agree the credits are part of the experience and cutting them feels wrong.
And yes The Wee Small Hours is peak Sinatra that late-night mood never gets old.
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I did and you should be proud, that was clean work
That’s an awesome gift too; those are the best kinds, things people love but wouldn’t buy for themselves.
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It’s expensive but a very practical present, will last a very long time.
