Life lessons, etiquette taught by Kimberly Bell in first year

As a new school year commences, students prepare for a fresh start and begin to adapt to the new teachers and their various ways of teaching. One teacher, although new to full time teaching, is by no means unfamiliar to a large majority of the student body.

Kimberly Bell, the new home-ec teacher, took the place of long time teacher Sharon Scharf, who retired last year after spending 27 years as a teacher. Scharf taught both the home-ec and art classes.

While Bell is considered a new teacher, she substituted for various teachers several times in previous years and also is the parent of an FC alumni and two current students.

Bell appreciates her personal connections on campus and aims to get to know her students better through her time with them in class.

“My sister, (History and Photojournalism teacher, Kori Friesen) started teaching here full-time a couple of years ago, so that brought to my attention the need for substitutes,” Bell said. “After a few years of subbing, the opportunity came up to teach home-ec. We were contemplating sending our boys here for junior high and high school. We thought this would be a great opportunity to be a part of the community as well as to get to know the students and be able to influence student’s lives on a more personal level.”

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Cate Vander Kooi, ’18, decided to take home-ec to improve her cooking skills, but enjoys that Bell adds a variety to the class.

“I decided to take home-ec this year because I really enjoy baking and cooking, so I wanted to get better at it,” Vander Kooi said. “I do like Mrs. Bell’s teaching style because it is more than just going into the kitchen; it’s about learning and understanding certain topics. I have never taken a home-ec class before, and it’s different from what I expected because of the introduction of life skills.”

Bell looks forward to adding her own spin on home-ec. Besides the usual skills learned in home-ec, she plans to focus on life skills in order to prepare students for life outside of school. Her intent is to equip students with abilities that they wouldn’t learn in a typical classroom.

Bell realizes that her strengths differ from Scharf’s but looks to use her strengths in different ways.

“Well, I definitely have different strengths than the previous teacher (Scharf) did,” Bell said. “She had wonderful strengths but they’re just not the same as mine. I’m going to bring some practical life skills to the class, as well as some cooking and some basic survival sewing. We are going to add a lot more life skills, communication strategies, financial management, household management, home repair, relationships, etiquette, things that relate to you anyone now and things that you can use in your future.”

Many students realize that home-ec helps equip themselves for life outside of high school. With college right around the corner, several students will find skills used in this class helpful in their day to day life.

Dawson Triplitt, ’17, looks to use these skills when he goes to college next year.

“I decided to take home-ec this year because there is a good chance I could be going away to college next year,” Triplitt said. “It will teach me how to live on my own and not have to eat out all the time. It (home-ec) is a little bit different than I expected, but I like Mrs. Bell as a teacher. She treats us as adults. I think she is doing a great job teaching for her first year.”

While all classes have something to offer their students, the skills learned in home-ec most likely will continue to impact many students throughout their lives. As students once again get into the routine of school, Bell will offer them new skills and challenges throughout the year.

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For the students taking home-ec with Kimberly Bell, leave a comment on your thought on the class!

For another teacher article read: Office secretary steps into the classroom, changes curriculum.