The other day I was reading Dave's blog Riding On, where at his job, they have a monthly kids workshop where the kiddies learn to handle tools and make things. It got me to thinking that I never hear my few friends who have kids, and it is few, because let's face it, I'm highly allergic to kids and baby dander, but I digress. They never mention anything about kids taking art, industrial arts, or home economics. Their like Maddie, "they don't have those classes anymore". "They don't even teach cursive writing anymore." Hence my perplexed look. Which brings me to my point. Is home economics still relevant?
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “home economics”? Perhaps the image of a perfectly attired Stepford wife criticizing the texture of the first pound cake you attempted to make or memories of the flyby course you took when you wanted to put in minimal effort and come out with a passing grade at the end of the term. For many people, the class has a reputation for being an outdated course where the most you learn is how to make cheese biscuits and maybe a cake from a mix, and use uni-tasker kitchen appliances, during a perfectly useless semester in seventh grade. I was made aware of the wonders of an electric sandwich press, but it’s not something I would ever include in my kitchen arsenal. But with a little retooling and updating, home economics classes could be a valuable tool in the fight against obesity today. I am amazed how many calls I get from friends on recipes on "how to", or don't know how to cook... period. But along the way home ec. attained the reputation of being a relic, a gender-stereotyped course meant to confine women to domestic roles. Some schools have managed to breathe new life into the course by divvying it up into more specialized classes—like courses that specifically address food preparation, to prospective students in the age when Food Network-style programs inject fun and excitement into life in the kitchen. However, because home ec is typically classified as an elective course, if at all, like art and music classes—is prone to being eliminated, or already has, from a school’s course offerings. A big mistake in my opinion.
The five things I took from these classes were 1- Cooking, sewing and how to shop. I don't sew like a professional, but at least I know how to at least stich a hem and sew on a button to my fly!!! 2- Household management and cleaning. 3- Nutrition.4- Dress and etiquette. 5- Small chapter of child development, but I blocked that out.
Furthermore girls and boys should be taught the basic principles they will need to feed themselves and their families within the current food environment: As kids and teens transition into young adulthood, they should be provided with knowledge to harness modern conveniences and avoid pitfalls in the marketplace ,such as prepared foods with a high ratio of calories to nutrients to prepare meals that are quick, nutritious, and tasty.
Personally, I enjoyed my home ec classes, along with my industrial arts and art and music classes. I learned my way around a kitchen because I had a mom, grandmother and aunt who cooked all the family’s meals. That’s the standard of living I want to maintain because I prefer the taste of “from scratch” food over the prefab stuff. If I didn’t have that kind of a model at home to follow, along with those classes, I might have ended up trying to sustain myself predominantly on convenience food and living in a unkempt abode. Wouldn’t giving home ec a much-needed facelift—and maybe even making it a graduation requirement—potentially turn out more savvy, self-efficient and healthy, well rounded young adults?
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