What is typically taught in a home ec class? I don't take it, but I need to know for a story I'm writing.
The home economics class I took last year entailed the following: Creating and implementing a budget Finding a job Finding an apartment How to lead a healthy balanced lifestyle How to have healthy relationships Employing a healthy diet Altogether it seemed more of a "becoming an adult class", terribly boring, and so long as you wrote your name on your paper you would pass.
Yeah, my home ec classes 30+ years ago were all about sewing and cooking. I assume, and O. Snowe above seems to corroborate, that they do more than that now. I will, however, never forget one of my home ec classes in eighth grade. The teacher in this class was particularly boring, and had a tendency to drone on and on about things. Anyway, everyone in the class at one point was making stuffed whales. One morning, out of the blue, the teacher picks up someone's whale, points to the spouting water from the whale's blow hole, and says, "and this is where he shoots up his sperm." The entire class did a double take, and everyone had to ask his or her tablemates what the teacher had just said. To this day, I have no idea why she said that. But, that's pretty much what I remember from my home ec class.
I remember once in home ec we were making scones which very soon turned into a full-on dough-war which led to our "teacher" covering her head with her tray whilst being completely pelted with just about everything in the classroom including utensils. She squealed like a pig while we just fell about laughing. Needless to say we didn't have another home ec class till the following year - instead we had to stand in the gym with arm arms above our heads for 80 minutes every week for about 6 months. Looking back it was worth it and on Facebook we still fall about laughing reminiscing. Good times...
that's what mine was, some 60 years ago... i took it every year in jr high and high school, so i could have the use of a better sewing machine, to make my own clothes...
Lah! My laugh of the week! Maybe the entire month. (btw, any teacher who can pick up a whale needs to be doing something besides teaching! And who cleaned up the classroom after the whale spouted?) Reminds me of my home ec class. Trying to put a zipper into some garment and follow the instructions on the cardboard wrapper I got so frustrated because it just wouldn't work. Finally I looked at the garment. Looked at what it was supposed to look like. Put the zipper in perfectly and never looked back. I learned how to do those basic things before I ever was confronted with a class in school. I had the advantage of a grandmother who taught me to lay brick, roof a house, lay carpet, build a table, replace a car water pump, cook, and sew all before I was twelve years old. (I taught myself how to drive a stick shift.) Oh, yeah. And these days, Home Ec and Shop classes are all under the same umbrella. But while many girls may embrace welding and woodworking, some of the guys still seem to resent being taught how to sew or how to prepare a healthful diet. (Conversely, in a statistically argumentative way, that also means that many of the guys embrace learning how to sew and prepare a healthful diet and some of the girls resent taking shop classes.)
my mother taught me how to sew on an old singer treadle model at about age 6-7, along with how to knit, crochet and cook... my dad, who was an accountant and hospital administrator in his day job, was a putterer who taught me how to use tools to make or fix just about anything... so, needless to say, i pulled straight A's in home-ec... was even a 'betty crocker home-maker of tomorrow' awardee, in 7th or 8th grade... never bothered to take shop, though... my dad's basement workshop provided all i needed to make doll furniture anf hangers for the doll clothes i designed and made for my little sisters...
i was more impressed with the check that accompanied the pin... i think it was $50 or $100... a nice windfall, for someone who was baby-sitting for 50 cents per hour!
I think what you are taught depends more on the school than the time period. My last home ec class was only about eight years ago, and we only covered a few of the topics in @O. Snow's post, on top of cooking and sewing of course. Of course we talked about budgets and food groups and running a household; but most of the class was making pillows, pajamas, stuffed animals and "learning our way around a kitchen," as my teacher always put it.
You can skip sewing in our curriculum; I did wood- and metalwork. Not sure if that's an option in the US too? Lol @ sperm whale.
