bunbytes

Oh my, have you revved me up. I have a degree in Home Ec Education/Foods and Nutrition; in other words a cooking teacher. I never did teach in the schools, but I did volunteer at the Agricultural Extension Office for several years. Why don't we have home ec any more? It's not an academic subject and with all these ridiculous standardized tests the teachers must teach to, no one wants to spend any money on home ec. Yes, I had some crummy home ec teachers, especially in junior high. My cooking teacher was my mentor in high school. Our kids need more than academics. All kids need to be able to prepare nutritious meals, do some basic mending, balance a check book, be able to plan a week of meals and shop wisely, understand a basic contract and other life skills. That's what home ec is supposed to teach. We had boys in our classes in the sixties and seventies and they loved the cooking and were quite good at it. I think there was a problem with classroom management in the sewing class that was mentioned.

Now you may think I'm a conspiracy theorist, but big business doesn't want our upcoming generations to be able to do for themselves. Fast food depends on people not being able to make a quick, simple, and nutritious meal. Just get a burger on the way home. Why mend clothes - if they rip or lose a button, just toss them and buy new (made in China or who knows where) or for that matter, why sew your own clothes? These trends have contributed so much to our obesity epidemic - eat junk, get fat and unhealthy. Buy lots of cheap clothes from overseas and our clothing manufacturers here can't or don't want to compete.

Both of my sons (24 and 28) are both good cooks and the eldest teaches his friends simple recipes. Both can sew on a button and the youngest one has a quilt in progress from his teens. They've been laundering their own clothes since age 10 and the youngest had to teach his girlfriend how to iron a shirt (he still does a better job.) They didn't have home ec in school, but they had it at home with me. They are very frugal shoppers. Both started helping me cook as soon as they could stand on a kitchen chair. Our kids need these skills and I mean both sexes. Try explaining this to our politicians; heck we can barely get funding for the academic courses. So many complain about their property taxes being high and want them reduced a whole bunch and we're really messing up our future generations with this attitude. Thanks for letting me rant.

BarbsCA

They no longer offer "shop" classes in our area either, I'm sorry to say. My DD took orchestra instead of home ec classes. She doesn't want to sew she brings the "stuff" to Mom to sew LOL

cat2quilt

I know that in New Jersey cooking and sewing courses are still offered in junior high along with Spanish, French and German. I think it is required to take at least one term of cooking and one of sewing.

pacquilter

I think these days teachers have so much they have to cram in academically, that time for things like music, P.E. and Home Ec. isn't as easy to come by as it was when we were growing up. That's one of the reasons I'm always game to pass on my sewing skills to anyone of the younger generation who's interested.

MaryLane

As has been said repeatedly, there is no time to teach sewing in schools today. WE are too busy teaching to the test. I really don't believe everyone is meant to have two years of algerbra, either.

That said, I thought Home Ec was the biggest waste of any class offered. I took one year in junior high. My sister took it all through high school. She can't sew and is really not a good cook. I am still trying to figure out what she learned in 6 years of home ec.

My sons all had "Life Skills" classes in jr. high. They had 9 weeks of sewing one year and 9 weeks of cooking one year. They also had Hunter Ed and boat safety. They thought all of these classes were a waste of time and money.

My experiences with sewing in 4-H were not good either. All of this is said to support the fact that I don't think sewing belongs in the schools. It is too expensive to support and no longer a practical skill. It is a fine art and we don't have money for those anymore.

If you feel comfortable giving sewing classes, I say go for it. I have sewn my entire life and taught numerous people to sew. Teaching a class would take all the pleasure out of it for me. So, I appreciate people like you stepping up.

Fox

Interesting topic. I worked in a fabric store a while ago, when a pregnant woman came in to buy fabric for maternity clothes that her mother would make for her. She was a teacher she said, in a small town nearby, teaching of Home Economics. I asked why her mother was making the clothes and the answer was: she didn't know how to sew. Her Teacher's Assistant did the teaching. I still haven't gotten over that one.

RAChhap

I would suggest that you contaact your County Extension Agent and ask about 4-H programs. They almost always have a sewing and fashion group and maybe you could volunteer to help out. I did that for several years and there were always more girls that wnted to sew than we had teacher/leaders for.

lalaland

I teach sewing one period a day in a continuation high school (for those of you unfamiliar with continuation high schools, they are for kids that are off track to graduate and they can either graduate from our school, which is state accredited, or earn their way back to their home school) and I am also the registrar there.

I am the only sewing teacher in the district. When the home ec teachers retired at other sites, the class was discontinued. I asked to teach the class and was told I could teach it, but it had to be financially independent because there were no funds to support it. After 3 years I was moved into a better room, freshly painted, and newly carpeted. I've been teaching it going on 5 years now, I own everything in the classroom, I keep my kids too busy to be a problem and my boys are actually better at sewing than the girls, and much more creative. I think the success of a class has a lot to do with the structure of the class and I will take some credit, I'm nice but I do not tolerate disrespect towards me, or anyone else, and my favorite saying is " I know you can talk and sew at the same time". My students receive applied arts or elective credit in my class.

If you are serious about starting up a sewing class in your town, go for it! If you need a spot to have them, do you have a recreation department in town? We have beginning sewing class at our local Sew Vac that are sponsored by the recreation department. The students bring their own machines. I was asked by 2 sewing places if I would teach a class in their stores. There are opportunities out there!

lalaland

I don't know where you live but maybe your niece could check iinto classes available at the local recreation department. They often have beginning sewing classes. And the independent fabric/quilting stores often offer classes, as well as the dealers like Sew Vac. I think our big Jo Anns here offers beginning sewing. A way better atmosphere than what your niece was exposed to.

WilliP

I would suggest if you are interested in helping the 4 H programs of FHA (does it still exist) that you contact your state extension service (I think they are through state universities) and offer your services. Check with your local school districts to see if they need help in this area. My freshman home ec teacher toldf me that they were more oriented on teachiong the students to purchase wisely rather than make it themselves the last time I saw her. I think she has retired recently.