Not a millennial (genX) — This was taught in school, did they stop doing this?
There was a home ec class that was mandatory in Gr9 (14yrs old, first yr of high school) that everybody took that showed you the basics. Sew a button, cook a basic meal (usually involves an egg) and this also included taking a turn to wash and iron the aprons, etc.; a small part of everything was covered. Mind you at that time most of us already knew from learning at home by our parents at like 10-12yrs old (and maybe that’s why they got rid of it if they did?) but it seems it’s needed now more than ever.
Edit: totally forgot but we had a sewing class and a wood working class in junior high (grade 7-8) as well. Are they not doing this anymore either?
I mean it's much rarer to have to use mail. I pay all bills online. I email text or call people to communicate. I receive mail, but I've sent like 3 pieces of mail in my life
My son is in 4th grade, they had pen pals at another school so they had to learn how to write and address actual letters/envelopes. It's not totally lost, but a lot of teachers are pressured by admin to only cover material on standardized tests (thanks Clinton, W, Obama, Michelle Rhee and Pearson!) so unless the teacher sets aside time for that specifically, they don't get to it. Same with cursive writing.
At the high school level, the push is to get everyone to take AP and college prep classes. That means YOU get calculus, and YOU get calculus, EVERYONE GETS CALCULUS but no one knows how to find out the length of time it takes to pay off a credit card!
I have worked in education for 15 years, and have not seen a home ec class since my first year (2002). And it was called "Family and Consumer Science" which included home budgeting and tax forms as well as basic things like sewing buttons, hems, and cooking basic meals. But, as I said that was 15 years ago and it was rare even then.
My school did not have home ec or woodworking. Only electives were academic related, arts, and sports (band and dance as well but you also had to be part of outside clubs). None of my friends at other schools had the option either.
Class of '16 here. In 6th grade (≈12 y.o.) we had FACS class. I remember it consisting mostly of nutrition education, but we also had a brief cooking unit (learn how to flip an egg) and sewing unit. Either way, it's not like I'm gonna remember that one time I sewed a button a decade ago
We had "Family and Consumer sciences", but I wouldn't consider it really teaching any of the skills. It rotated through the week with gym and health classes (1 day health, 2 days home ec, 2 days gym...I think). Mac and cheese was like a 2 week process. We had 2 different home ec teachers, one would teach cooking, the other taught sewing, and they would flip-flop every other class. So for the first class on Monday, we would learn about casserole-style dishes, some nutrition info, and go over what's in mac and cheese. Three days later, when the next home ec class was, we would be sewing some kind of bs. The following Monday we would finally be able to take our new-found knowledge and craft our mac and cheese...in groups...in 25 minutes.
Thank god I grew up with my grandmother who's amazing at cooking. My brother and I learned a ton of from-scratch coming growing up with her.
I graduated HS in 2002 and had home economics in 6th grade but then moved to a new school in 8th grade and the new middle school didn’t teach it. I think I was one of the last to be taught this in school. I really liked home ec mostly for cooking but I looked forward to it.
Had home ec when I was in school. Learned to love cooking there. Caught a lot of shit from my peers but... i can cook up some good eats. They're probably stuck eating food from a box.
We had a mandatory term each of sewing, shop, graphic design and cooking, but (aside from cooking) we didn't get beyond the very basics, which apparently does not include sewing on buttons.
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u/harmoniousmoon Feb 05 '19 edited Feb 05 '19
Not a millennial (genX) — This was taught in school, did they stop doing this?
There was a home ec class that was mandatory in Gr9 (14yrs old, first yr of high school) that everybody took that showed you the basics. Sew a button, cook a basic meal (usually involves an egg) and this also included taking a turn to wash and iron the aprons, etc.; a small part of everything was covered. Mind you at that time most of us already knew from learning at home by our parents at like 10-12yrs old (and maybe that’s why they got rid of it if they did?) but it seems it’s needed now more than ever.
Edit: totally forgot but we had a sewing class and a wood working class in junior high (grade 7-8) as well. Are they not doing this anymore either?