What is a skillet? Until two weeks ago, I was not entirely sure. I had the vague idea that it was a kind of pan, but I didn’t know what made it different from other pans. When my parents asked me to grab a skillet from the cupboard, I stood staring at our array of pans for a few minutes before finally asking, “Could you define ‘skillet?’” My mother gaped at me in disbelief, asking her follow up question, “Do you really not know what a skillet is?” Well, who’s supposed to teach me that? When was I supposed to learn that? My parents, managing their own jobs, adult lives, and other children, only have so much time in a day. Along with that, I have the luxury of patient and attentive parents, something too many kids in America grow up without. The solution is Home Economics classes, alternatively called Family and Consumer Sciences. Home Ec. classes teach children like me basic skills needed to run a household and survive adult life. Cooking, cleaning, budgeting and other financial skills are taught in Home Ec. Unfortunately, despite their importance, Home Ec. classes are an endangered species. Schools are slowly shutting the classes down, and even less students are enrolling to what is generally considered a girl’s class. Home Ec. is an essential class and is criminally overlooked. It should be a core, required class for all students.

         Kids deserve to be taught these basic adult skills. They will use them every day of their lives. In Home Ec./FCS, kids learn about skills required for life, like maintaining a home and financial literacy. When cooking at home, I find my nose frequently buried in my phone as I frantically search on Google what should be common knowledge—what is cake flour? How many sticks is a third of a cup of butter? When an older recipe says ‘soda’ is that the same thing as baking soda? Students learn these types of things in Home Ec. classes. “It seems like one thing every FCS teacher will tell you is that their subject is one that, unlike calculus, students never wonder whether it will be relevant” (Danovich). Home Ec. and FCS take knowledge and apply it to the real world. "These classes take into account science, math, your liberal arts skills, it teaches you critical thinking ... also teamwork with the students having to do something together” (Harvey). These skills are absolutely necessary for today’s teens.

         While basic math skills are undoubtedly important for young children, advanced math and other subjects are overrated and not as useful. They should be replaced by essential Home Ec. classes. Home Ec. teaches about budgeting and taxes, which are already fairly important math topics that are largely ignored in actual math classes. While certain careers do use advanced math learned in high school, not everyone will be using it in their everyday lives. “As it turns out, less than a quarter of U.S. workers report using math any more complicated than basic fractions and percentages during the course of their jobs” (Weissman). Chances are kids today won’t need tricky formulas every day—but they will need to clean a sink properly and iron a shirt. Why not replace nearly useless math classes with genuine learning?

         The younger generation is unfairly ridiculed for being helpless, when we have little to no control over the courses we are required to take, let alone which ones our schools offer. Home Economics classes are being dropped because of budget cuts, lack of qualified teachers, and negative stereotypes. “While older generations might scoff at millennials and Generation Z for not knowing how to perform these tasks, educators say today’s college students grew up under intense pressure to pass college entrance exams and achieve high grade point averages — giving them little time to learn life skills” (College Students Turn to 'Adulting' Classes for Basic Life Skills). I can’t count how many times I’ve heard an older adult call my generation useless. Why does it have to be that way? Why can’t our resources be pushed into making us useful? I would gladly take a Home Economics or FCS class, if only my school offered them. High school students should have the option to take these classes.

         Now, besides the unfortunate budget cuts and teacher shortages, there are plenty of impractical reasons Home Ec./FCS classes are being shut down across the country. A common argument is that parents should be teaching these skills and it’s not a school’s responsibility. The thing is, parents are not always available to teach their children these things. Some parents have full time jobs. Some parents are distant and negligent, or assume their children know these things. According to RCDVCPC.org, over 683,000 children may have been maltreated (or at least were documented as maltreated) in 2015. And the lack of home teaching isn’t always a malicious effort on the parents’ part. Many families simply can’t afford the free time to teach their kids these skills. Some families have many children, and the older ones in need of less direct assistance are expected to be independent. Schools are the place where kids are trained to go into the real world. Many children rely entirely on their education to navigate through life. It’s the school’s job to prepare kids for adulthood.

         Another obstacle in instituting core Home Ec. classes is the stereotype that it is a girl’s only class. From many kids’ perspectives, “Home Economics” or “Family and Consumer Sciences” are just fancy names for what they basically consider “How to become the perfect housewife 101.” “There's the memory of girls being sent to learn about child care and cooking while boys took shop class — all in preparation to take on traditional gender roles in marriage” (Danovich). But not only girls need to know how to manage a home. Every single high school student will potentially be an adult living alone at some point—and that involves doing the dishes every once in a while. In a modern age like today, nothing’s stopping both genders from becoming independent and efficient around the home. Home Ec. isn’t just about cooking and cleaning, either. Financial literacy is a huge subject in Home Ec. classes. There is no excuse for students of any gender to miss out on important skills taught in Home Ec./FCS.

         Home Ec. classes are far more important than they are currently being treated and should become required classes. Schools need to offer Home Ec. classes. Why are educational budgets pouring into sports programs and lavish gymnasiums instead of learning and real-life skills? More teachers need to be trained and truly valued. So, what is a skillet? Thanks to my parents' help and some extensive research, I know that it is a pan with a sturdy bottom, intended for frying. But had I not had access to the internet, or if my parents had dismissed my question, I would still be in the dark about that. Neither Home Ec. nor Family and Consumer Sciences were available to me even as just an elective this year, and dozens of other schools are the same. That has to change.

Works Cited

Danovich, Tove. “Despite A Revamped Focus On Real-Life Skills, 'Home Ec' Classes Fade Away.” NPR, NPR, 14 June 2018, www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/06/14/618329461/despite-a-revamped-focus-on-real-life-skills-home-ec-classes-fade-away.

Gonzolez, Maria. “Should Home Economic Class Be Required At School?” Magnushealth.com, 31 Oct. 2019, web.magnushealth.com/insights/should-home-economic-class-be-required-at-school#:~:text=Home%20economics%20classes%20can%20empower,confidence%20that%20every%20student%20needs.

McCoy, Mary Kate. “What Can Home Economics Teach Kids? A Lot, Professor Says.” Wpr.org, 21 Jan. 2019, 6:00, www.wpr.org/what-can-home-economics-teach-kids-lot-professor-says.

Moore, Cortney. “Why Is Home Economics Not Taught in Schools Anymore?” Fox Business, Fox Business, 16 June 2020, www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/home-economics-not-taught-schools.

Mosley, Tonya. “Do We Really Need To Learn Advanced Math? One Professor's Case For A More 'Practical' Approach.” Do We Really Need To Learn Advanced Math? One Professor's Case For A More 'Practical' Approach | Edify, WBUR, 10 Apr. 2017, www.wbur.org/edify/2017/04/10/advance-math-numeracy-andrew-hacker.

Press, Associated. “College Students Turn to 'Adulting' Classes for Basic Life Skills.” Fox Business, Fox Business, 18 Nov. 2019, www.foxbusiness.com/money/college-students-turn-to-adulting-classes-for-basic-life-skills.

“Rates of Child Abuse and Child Exposure to Domestic Violence.” RCDV, www.rcdvcpc.org/rates-of-child-abuse-and-child-exposure-to-domestic-violence.html.

Weissmann, Jordan. “Here's How Little Math Americans Actually Use at Work.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 24 Apr. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/heres-how-little-math-americans-actually-use-at-work/275260/.

2, M., 25, L., Laura Hanby Hudgens | March 15, 10, M., Lisa Endlich Heffernan | July 25, Laura Hanby Hudgens | June 15, . . . 2, M. (2020, September 02). If high schools Offered "AP Home Economics Class," maybe teens would take it. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from grownandflown.com/high-schools-teach-home-economics/

Gonzolez, M. (19, October 31). Should home economic class be required at school? Retrieved March 27, 2021, from web.magnushealth.com/insights/should-home-economic-class-be-required-at-school