Did you take it back in school? I’m old enough that it was mandatory, and as I reflect on school, it was incredibly helpful. It’s where I learned as a kid:
- How to write a check and balance a checkbook
- How compounding interest works
- How to make scrambled eggs, muffins, and jam
- How to sew on a button and work a sewing machine
- How to follow a pattern and make a shirt and an apron
- Why those muffins we made didn’t turn out (too much stirring)
I remember home-ec vividly. I’ve been thinking about it because my own son didn’t know how to write a check. I sort of assumed it was taught in school. Now that I think about it, my kids struggle with scrambled eggs and none of them will sew back on a button.
Home-ec was the essentials of home economics. It taught functional skills that have helped me through life. At least in my day it was open to boys and girls
Right now schools are struggling to open, many schools struggle to even keep art and music classes – I know funds are stretched, but in my dream school, there’s a semester for the basics. It will help teach the skills to manage life, and I think it would filter into our society as a whole. Making us more capable and thrifty.
Now for shop class – I wish it had included a section on how to fix a leaky faucet.