Students benefit from class, learn life skills

Teens and young adults are often urged to learn basic life skills by their parents and grandparents so they can live independently. In an article on Forbes.com, written by Neil Howe, he states that millennials have one of the highest college graduation rates of any generation, but they contain the highest concentrations of people who are unable perform simple tasks such as car maintenance, cooking and sewing.  

In her third year of teaching home economics, Kimberly Bell has a full curriculum planned for her students. Bell teaches her students to follow recipes, change car tires and manage finances. The first part of the school year focuses on kitchen mechanics.      

“In the first semester we deal with more culinary skills so they can make their way around a kitchen,” Bell said. “We also learn how to follow a recipe, which I think is one of the most vital parts of this class. In college, they will be able to prepare their own food and they won’t have to buy fast food every day, which can be very expensive.”

Many students who experienced the class last year remember what they experienced. Ronnie Peterson, ‘19, took home economics his junior year and appreciated what it offered. Peterson believes that some of the things he learned will give him a head start once he graduates. He also enjoyed how the class allowed him to not only learn, but to have fun with his friends at the same time.  

“Having a good time with my friends, making good food and learning new valuable skills are some of the things I enjoyed most about home economics,” Peterson said. “In my opinion, the most important skill we learned was a unit devoted to banking and account management. It is a very useful skill to have when you go out on your own.”

According to her students, one of the most elaborate forms of education used by Bell comes in the form of imaginary bank accounts. Students are “paid” based on their grades after the quarter. At different intervals in the school year, Bell sets up an auction containing small prizes that the students can use their in class currency on.

Explaining the benefits of the in-class currency, senior Amanda Grimmius shares her experience in the class and her views on the auctions. Grimmius enjoyed the practicality of the class.

“During our finance and auction unit, I learned how to pay bills and create savings, among many other things,” Grimmius said. “During the auction, I learned how to spend money wisely, when it was important to save your money, and when it was okay to splurge a little bit. It was overall a really good experience, and I recommend it to everyone.”

Home economics’ Cookie Bake Off took place, Oct. 17-18. The students of Bell’s class demonstrated what they learned in the kitchen. Students baked batches of cookies to be evaluated by judges picked by Bell. 

On November the 10th, home economics takes a trip to PE teacher, Mick Fuller’s house, where they learn to prepare chickens by practicing with Fuller’s flock. This lesson in processing poultry gives home economics students experience in cleaning and cutting the meat.

The class serves to teach students basic life skills and how to perform them correctly in their lives. Bell hopes that students will benefit from the class and use those skills in the future.

For more articles, read Local professor speaks on his recent book and EDITORIAL: Your vote matters.

Brayden Iest can be reached by email.