Over a decade ago, Park offered a culinary arts course to students. The course covered a variety of topics within the kitchen, as well as offering the opportunity for students to receive their ServSafe certification.
Growing up, cooking has always been a huge part of my life. So much so, that I even wrote my college essay about it. When I was a freshman, I definitely would have enrolled in a cooking course. Even though I would have already known how to cook, it would have been fun to learn new recipes and generally just have a way to decompress during the school day.
Home economics as a class teaches important life skills that are beneficial to every student, no matter their background. Besides cooking, home economics covers a variety of topics. Nutrition, for example, is one of these topics and it is especially important for student athletes. Learning from a young age how to properly fuel your body, especially as the level of competition continues to increase, is crucial. “Healthy foods” are often perceived to be more expensive and less accessible, which is not actually true. By dedicating a unit to nutrition, students would have the opportunity to learn how to eat well from the food they already have at home.
Besides cooking and nutrition, sewing is another important skill that students would learn in a home economics class. While sewing may seem like a waste of time, it could end up saving you a lot of money in the long run. Clothes and other fabric items rip all the time, especially when they are well loved. Rather than getting rid of the item or just wearing the item less, you would learn how to make a quick repair that would be hardly noticeable. To take it even further, a skilled sewer could even make their own clothes out of quilts or fabric, even to the extent of upcycling old clothes.
If none of those topics appeal to you, home economics also covers personal finances and home design. These are both important life skills that maybe wouldn’t ever be taught to students otherwise. Learning to be smart with your money at a young age will end up saving you a lot of money. Additionally, the requirements to open a credit card or apply for a loan require a credit score and positive spending records. By starting to do this at a young age, you would be able to accumulate positive records in a low-risk environment. Interior design, which may seem like a simple concept at first, can actually be quite challenging. Matching wall color with furniture and art is a skill that needs to be developed. Spending a little time now, learning tips and tricks, will make your life so much easier once you are buying and decorating your own house. There is a reason people hire interior designers: they can’t decorate themselves. You will save yourself a lot of time and energy just by being able to decorate your own house well.
There would be numerous benefits to offering a home economics class at Park. Students would have the opportunity to learn important life skills that will be utilized for the rest of their lives. Not only that, but there is no downside to making and eating delicious foods during the school day.
