Bring Home-Economics Class Back
What subjects are mandatory in public schools? Once a daughter or son is independent and is away from parents, what skills does he or she need to have? The skills one needs are budgeting, cooking, laundry, sewing, child development, and fixing basic household items. There is an academic discipline that teaches these important skills, which is home-economics class (Hammond, 2016). Public Schools in the US should bring home economics classes back to foster a healthier and sustainable society.
Historically, home economics is a class that was taught to women in schools to teach important life-skills such as budgeting, cooking, sewing clothes, etc. that will make them a better wife ( Martin Heggestad, Mann Library). As home-economics classes became stigmatized due to gender stereotypes and the feminist movement, home-economics class was eliminated from many schools (The Middlebury Blog Network). Although home-economics classes are being eliminated, it is not completely wiped out from the educational system. Some schools are offering home economics classes as an elective, but resources are limited due to funding and lack of teachers who are competent to teach home economics classes (Danovich, 2018).
First, teaching home-economics classes help children gain important skills and knowledge about cooking and healthy food choices. Proponents of traditionalism - teachers as the main person giving knowledge to the students- would say that students learn essential skills from a teacher about cooking, sewing, fixing household items, etc. (Colorado, U.O). Furthermore, a textbook would also aid students to gain knowledge about home-economics.
Furthermore, students can do job-shadowing into potential career fields that help them in their career choices in the future. For example, students in elementary school could go on a field trip to a restaurant and experience what it is like to cook in a restaurant and gain insight into how cooking could be a potential career opportunity. A field trip is not part of a traditional curriculum and has proven benefits in education, which is closely aligned with progressivism. Progressivism education is learning centered around students that involves teaching assigning students projects or experiments by letting them connect what they learned in class to real-world experiences or application (Colorado, U.O.). Recently my brother, went to a field trip to a rice farm and learn how rice is made as part of a field trip and gain knowledge and appreciation for how rice is made, In the future, if he had to make a rice dish, he could connect his field trip to a rice farm and apply that to his home-economics class.
Furthermore, by bringing home-economics back and making it mandatory, the stereotypes of home-economics could be left behind. By including girls and boys in the classroom, students will not only learn essential skills and knowledge but also see that home-economics is not just for women but also for men. When I looked over my brother's report card for his kindergarten in Taiwan, I saw pictures of him, other boys, and girls in the classroom fully participating in home-economics class. The boys and girls in the class were cooking, learning how to fold clothes, sewing clothes, etc.
Home-economics class also teaches the importance of responsibility, which is important inside the home and outside, which includes school, work, civic participation, etc. (Danovich, 2018). If a student learns how to cook healthy meals in schools, parents can reluctantly ask their child to do some household chores like cooking. By giving a child a duty, he or she learns responsibility, which is important in home, school, and work.
Lastly, students learn important intercultural skills in home-economics class such as teamwork and communication. According to a Professor from Saitama University, if students have learned knowledge about home-economics from school, learning from teachers and classmates could expand their knowledge and widen their perspective (Kamamura). This is mentioning that although some students are taught some aspects of home-economics in their home, learning at schools with their classmates and from a teacher builds intercultural skills necessary in this global world.
On the other hand, home economics classes are being cut because there are not enough teachers to teach those subjects. In social-efficiency theory, educators believe in aligning what is taught in schools to the demands of society (Colorado, U.O.) Advocates of social efficiency theory, would say that home economics class is not useful to career, and rather focus on science, technology, engineering, and math, which can lead to higher-paying jobs and valued in society.
Home economics class should be mandatory and brought back to public schools across the United States because it fosters a healthy and sustainable society, which is important to be able to take care of oneself and others. Regardless of gender, class, etc. Everybody should be able to cook, sew, do woodwork, etc. If parents do not teach these life-skills, schools should teach home-economics class, which will encourage the students to be active in household chores and have the necessary skills and knowledge to take care of oneself and others. In order to break the gender stereotype that exists in home-economics class, home-economics should be mandatory so that boys and girls are taught the same skills in the same classroom. In Japan and Taiwan, boys and girls are taught to cook, sew clothes, etc. starting at elementary school. If one looks at Japan or Taiwan, home-economics classes still exist because it is essential to foster and build a healthier and sustainable society and also teaches important emotional, intellectual, and social skills.
References
Danovich, T. (2018, June 14). Despite A Revamped Focus On Real-Life Skills, 'Home Ec' Classes Fade Away. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/06/14/618329461/despite-a-revamped-focus-on-real-life-skills-home-ec-classes-fade-away
The Middlebury Blog Network, Home Economics and Household Management. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.middlebury.edu/homeec/history-of-home-economics/
Colorado, U. O. School and Society: A Reader in the Social Foundations of Education and Educational Diversity. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781524906269/
Kawamura, M. (2017, May 1). Japanese Home Economics Education 'Kateika': All Children Love It. Retrieved from https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjahee/59/1/59_46/_article
Hammond, K. (2016, September 29). What Are the Seven Areas of Home Economics? Retrieved from https://education.seattlepi.com/seven-areas-home-economics-1946.html
Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition and History. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/h/hearth/about.html
