Home Economics: Your thoughts?

[Amy SF]

In seventh grade, I took a sewing class with the other girls. In eighth grade, I took a cooking class with the other girls. The boys in both grades took shop class. All classes were mandatory and gender-separated, although when I was in eighth grade, the school became a little more flexible and offered a shop class for girls. This was back in the early 1970's.

I wouldn't say that thanks to these classes I became a whiz at sewing and cooking, but I still thought they were invaluable in teaching the basics of sewing and cooking. Also, instead of relying a great deal on processed, canned, boxed and frozen foods, we made everything from scratch, which made everything better. (In fact, I still have the recipes and notes from that class somewhere.) I also benefited from having a mother who taught me and my sister basic sewing and cooking techniques and insisted we do some hands-on sewing and cooking so we'd know our way around a sewing needle (in class we graduated to sewing machines) and the kitchen.

Apparently, though, home ec classes have disappeared from schools, too much of a luxury when schools are struggling to find the funding to teach basic courses such as math and English and maintain sports teams and other luxuries such as textbooks and working bathrooms (not to mention music, except maybe for band, and art classes).

Who else took home ec classes in school? Do you think they should be restored to schools? Do you think that they would be invaluable to kids today to learn how to sew and cook, to shop for food and prepare healthy meals? Or would they be too much of a waste?

Interesting trivia: Our eighth grade history teacher told us that our home ec teacher was a direct descendant of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. Being a history buff, then as well as now, but not being a fan of the Confederacy, I wasn't sure if I liked hearing that bit of trivia or not.

 

[ledboots]

I liked home ec. We were allowed to choose shop or home ec; there were a couple of brave boys who took home ec. In elementary school, my mom volunteered and taught sewing, knitting, and crocheting. She wanted to teach gardening, but the school turned her down on that one.

I'm a terrible seamstress (except repairs and hemming) and cannot knit or crochet at all. I do like to garden and cook, though!

 

[beancounter]

We were required to take both HE and shop (late 70's). I didn't really care for either, although I learned how to mend cloths which proved to be useful.

Teaching life skills to kids is a good thing.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I took Home Ec in seventh grade, in the late 80s. I recall there being more girls than boys, but anyone could take it and there were boys in my class.

My middle school was split into three terms- trimesters instead of semesters- and HE lasted for two trimesters. Half was cooking, half was sewing. I barely recall anything specific about the class other than I passed.

My mom and grandma had involved me in the kitchen prior to then, so I probably didn't learn anything new in the cooking portion. I wasn't great at sewing, but I think we made a pillow or something. (I'm still not great at sewing.)

Also in middle school, I took some kind of shop-ish class. More boys than girls, but also co-ed. The only thing I remember from that class was learning to do screen printing.

 

[Wolfie]

Life skills should be taught by parents.

I didn't like home ec all that much. We were expected to eat whatever garbage was on the menu and I didn't do bacon even back then. And Tang. I think we had Tang with every meal. Who drinks that stuff and likes it? I didn't like sewing and to this day don't sew. I also hated shop.

I would say since most schools claim to be losing money, home ec isn't the most important class to have on the schedule. Now shop can teach skills students might use after graduation. Nephew is learning welding at school.

 

[Poppy]

I never took home ec, even thought I was in school in the 70s too. But I learned many of the basics in sewing and cooking when I got those badges in Girl Scouts instead.

Similar to typing on typewriters, the skills we may have learned in a home ec class just aren't necessary today. Today, you can learn how to sew and cook on YouTube, and not have to take any tests!

 

[thefadedone]

We never had home ec classes, but we did have to take a shop class. I don't remember anything from it though. I also had zero interest in it.

Life skills should be taught by parents.

I agree . However that's not always possible in some situations like single parent households where the parent is always working or with parents who just downright suck at parenting.

Similar to typing on typewriters, the skills we may have learned in a home ec class just aren't necessary today. Today, you can learn how to sew and cook on YouTube, and not have to take any tests!

Good point.

 

[Calliegirl]

We had a semester of cooking and a semester of sewing. The only thing I remember is making a gym bag for our gym clothes in sewing, and english muffin pizzas in cooking.

I don't remember there being any boys in sewing, but I think there were a few in cooking.

 

[Everleigh]

We had a semester of cooking and a semester of sewing.
.

I think that's how my school worked it.Except it was like 5 months of one thing and 4 months of something else.The only one I can remember taking was one where you get to leave school early to go to a job.So basically it taught you how to have a job I guess.

 

[KLS52]

And Tang. I think we had Tang with every meal. Who drinks that stuff and likes it?

Oh no! That would be me! I loved Tang so much! I would eat it straight from the jar and pretend it was Fun Dip (only fun dip was called "Lik-M-Aid" back then) lol.

 

[shyvas]

When I was at school it was called Domestic Science and Sewing which were taught seperately.
I loved the former even if it didn't really teach me much about cooking. I used to expermiment and learned how to cook on my own.
I hated the latter and thought that it was boring.

I really do think that it is essentiel that youngsters learn a few basics at school. This would enable them to at
least fend for themselves when starting out in life on a low income.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I hated my Home Ec teacher! She was universally despised by every girl in my school as she was so horrible. I'm not exaggerating at all, I know people who met her on the street years after they left school and verbally abused her.

Anyway, I didn't mind the cooking as we made some nice cakes but I hated the sewing as I thought it was so boring. I am unable to sew even at this age.

 

[shyvas]

I hated my Home Ec teacher! She was universally despised by every girl in my school as she was so horrible. I'm not exaggerating at all, I know people who met her on the street years after they left school and verbally abused her.

Anyway, I didn't mind the cooking as we made some nice cakes but I hated the sewing as I thought it was so boring. I am unable to sew even at this age.

We all looked forward to eating our bakes after the lesson.

 

[ledboots]

We all looked forward to eating our bakes after the lesson.

Yes that was fun. Once we made a luncheon for the teachers and were so proud of our accomplishments!

My mom had us in the kitchen from infancy, so I knew how to cook already, but I enjoyed the class at school. My sister is still a great baker, and my brother has always done the cooking for his family. My kids can cook, my son really likes to and has some interesting flavor combos sometimes. Always a citrus finish, he's such a Florida boy.

 

[LuvOurMother]

I was in school around 15 years ago, classes like home ec and shop were considered "electives". Students got to choose which elective to take for the year or semester, like art, computers, typing, marching band, orchestra, dance, team sports, auto shop, cooking. I was always on a team sport and dance so those were my electives.
Now the same district has taken away almost half of the electives and option to take them for many students. Of course because of budget cuts. Now students have to earn electives with good grades and behavior.
Since it seems to be a matter of funds, it makes more sense to put money towards math/science/language arts than home ec and shop classes. But I also think math/science/language arts classes can incorporate home ec and life skills into curriculums, like learning about fractions by cutting a recipe in half for example.

 

[thefadedone]

Oh no! That would be me! I loved Tang so much! I would eat it straight from the jar and pretend it was Fun Dip (only fun dip was called "Lik-M-Aid" back then) lol.

Tang and Fun Dip kid here also.

Anyway, I didn't mind the cooking as we made some nice cakes but I hated the sewing as I thought it was so boring. I am unable to sew even at this age.

I taught myself how to sew by hand. I have no idea how to use a machine though and even though I know how to sew, that doesn't mean I'm any good at it.

 

[Moll Flanders]

^ If I was in an emergency situation and I had to sew or use a sewing machine I probably could in all honesty. I just hate everything about it because of the association with that teacher.

 

[shyvas]

^ If I was in an emergency situation and I had to sew or use a sewing machine I probably could in all honesty. I just hate everything about it because of the association with that teacher.

Why does sewing a parachute come to mind ?

 

[Moll Flanders]

^ I was thinking of a life and death situation if I had to stitch together a wound.

 

[shyvas]

^ I was thinking of a life and death situation if I had to stitch together a wound.

I hadn't thought of that situation Molls ! I would have thought that in a L&D situation you would need to compress
and not to stich the poor b............ !!!