Do you recall your time in school learning home economics? The "real world" skills that these classes taught the pupils were budgeting, time management, cooking, sewing, and other such abilities. You may like to read about how will the next generation be affected from having screens here. These fundamental life skills that were taught in those seminars were beneficial to both young girls and boys.
There are either too few or no such programs in the educational system these days. Some people think that the courses are out of date and inappropriate for the state-of-the-art modules taught in schools.
While many students may be able to write a Shakespearian sonnet, they may not know much about credit cards, taxes, or other financial topics. This highlights an inequity in our educational system, because high school graduates possess minimal real-world experience upon entering the workforce.
Some parents worry that their children lack the abilities needed to live as adults in the real world. While there is no denying the importance of math, English, and history, home economics may also teach kids about comparative shopping and other vital life skills like health.
21st-Century Home Economics.
There are currently few home economics courses offered in secondary schools. However, relevant courses like Family Studies, Food and Nutrition, or Health and Safety are available for students to choose from.
The Salt on NPR decided to go a little further into the subject, examining the change from traditional home economics classes to the updated curriculum that students would encounter nowadays.
According to The Salt, these classes are becoming less common in schools, but they haven't completely disappeared. Just 3.5 million students were enrolled in secondary Family Consumer Science programs in 2012. Over a ten-year period, this indicates a 38 percent decline. You may like to read about the the reason some people like to watch horror movies here.
The Association of Teacher Educators for Family and Consumer Sciences President, Susan Turgeson, stated to NPR that "subjects like community gardening, composting, and even hydroponics—things you never would have seen in a classroom in the 1950s—may now be included in classes."
According to a 2013 nationwide survey on Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programs, there were approximately 3.4 million high school students enrolled in FCS courses, with an estimated 28,000 teachers instructing them between 2010 and 2012.
In contrast, a 2006 survey by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) revealed that between 2002 and 2003, 37,500 teachers taught about 5.5 million students in FCS courses.
What Lead to the Enrollment Decline?
Carol R. Werhan, director-at-large of AAFCS, claims that the vigorous push for testing enforced by the state and districts is the cause of the enrollment decline. Carol makes the observation that FCS is thought of as an elective.
Another reason for the program's limited number of accessible programs is the lack of certified FCS professors. The number of FCS teachers has decreased by 26% in just ten years, causing districts all around the state to cancel FCS courses due to a shortage of teachers.
Residences Without Home Economics.
If home economics is not taught to students, they run the risk of not learning important life lessons, particularly if they don't cook much at home. Takeout is a common choice among contemporary families in place of homemade dinners.
Products that provided more convenience than simple and complex ingredients, such as ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals and snacks, accounted for 26% of the average household food budget between 1999 and 2010, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. This tendency is problematic since processed foods are being consumed by an increasing number of people.
What Would Happen to Your Children If Home Economics Was Removed from the Curriculum?
The vast discipline of home economics includes topics such as family finance, personal finance, nutrition, and health. Basic skills for independent living are among the key things that students stand to lose if they do not take home economics programs.
According to Dawn Maceyka, President of the Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers Association of California, children today are limited to knowing how to operate a microwave and drive through.
According to Werhan, taking multiple home economics classes is essential for success in both the workplace and at home. The goal of home economics has always been to provide students with the knowledge they need to make better decisions about their lives.
Students won't always have someone to teach them how to cook, clean, balance a checkbook, or make sure the cooking area isn't contaminated if schools stop offering food and consumer science classes.
A student's inadequate grasp of nutrition will result in poor food choices later in life if their assumptions about food and nutrition are formed at a fast food counter due to a lack of nutrition education. They will have to learn financial lessons the hard way if they don't learn about them.
What do you think? Should home economics be taught in schools again? Will the study of home economics lead to a society that is far better in the future?