Our local school still offers the class, but it goes by a different name now: "Home and Careers" or something like that. Since the boys are required to take the class as well as the girls, I was able to sell the teacher on getting involved in making "ABC quilts" - which have now morphed into "Project Linus" quilts. I think this involvement in charity helps students who are disinterested in sewing to gain a little incentive.

In our town, Fairport NY, the children are required to sew 2 projects; one by hand one using the sewing machine.

The girl scout troop that I lead completed one project a year that uses a sewing machine. I blame the leader for that (me).

From 63 to 67, I took Home Ec. I think it a shame that many schools needed to quit offering it when they had to draw in their budgets. Home Ec offered many skills for both girls and boys not only on sewing and cooking but also on nutrition. Meal planning was also included, which goodness knows ,many of our children and grandchildren could find very useful today.

I took Home Ec sewing for 3 years in High School back in the early 70's. As each state starts adding more and more "required" courses to graduate, students stop taking electives. Here in Texas students are required to take 4 years of Math, Science, Social Studies and English. They also need 1 fine art, 2 years of the same foreign language, a semester of speech and 1.5 PE credits. That takes up 21 of the 28 credits a student would earn in 4 years. If a student wants to take 4 years of band, orchestra or choir, that uses up a huge chunk of their available electives. Home Ec here became a class for Special Ed and ESL students. Eventually we didn't even have enough students in those populations wanting Home Ec. Our state also requires all High School teachers to be fully qualified. They have to have a certain number of college credits in the subject area on top of passing a certification exam. With only one or two college students graduating in Texas that are qualified to teach Home Ec, there's no guarantee a school can confidently offer a class if they can't hire a qualified teacher. We have 9 High Schools in my city with over 16,000 students in grades 9-12. We would need 9 qualified Home Ec teachers to offer the subject. If we got both qualified teachers in the entire state, we would still be short 7 for the other schools.

What I think is so stupid is Home Ec is so much a part of math and science. A friend of mine taught Home Ec. and she fought to keep it in the school where she taught. Home Ec improved and made sense to the students who applied those skills to their math and vice versa. One of the first things she did was to teach her students quilting with cutting the angles just right for the right patterns. Her Home Ec students excelled in their math and science skills. Those who did poorly in math and science at the beginning of the year were Acing by the end of the term. Some of them got awards for most improved students. The quilts weren't large but blocks chosen had different degrees of angles. In cooking the students learned the consequences of mixing different spices and condiments and vinegar and baking soda (caustic effects). Home Ec (a.k.a. ?) is an interaction of science and math. Let's not forget the arts. Design of placing angles, nutrition interacts with PE. Stamina for the body to perform.

Too bad no one in power was able to see the correlation between the subjects...theory vs. practical. I know in my adult live I have had to draw on some subject matter I had in school and at that time thinking why do I need to know this, I will never use it? Wrong!