In the past, home economics lessons have been part of the curriculum in all high schools, teaching children valuable life skills such as cooking, filing tax returns, and housekeeping. At a time when schools are entirely academic-run and when their students score on standardized tests, children often drop out of school only to find they really don’t know any skills that can be applied in the world. present. While they can probably tackle difficult math problems with ease, they often have difficulty when it comes to their finances or even cooking simple meals for themselves. So, it’s time to bring home economics lessons back to high school.
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The home economy may have earned a stigma over the years; This subject is not only heavily feminized, mostly attended by young women, and completely avoided by men, but is also considered unnecessary or simpler in nature compared to more advanced subjects like algebra or physics. However, it should be understood that the life skills children learn in home economics lessons are just as important as any skills learned in their academic classrooms.
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If kids enter the so-called “real world” without knowing how to pay taxes, manage their finances, buy houses, stick to a grocery budget, or even sew buttons on their shirts, can we really call their school careers successful?? While many believe that these skills should arise naturally, it is simply unrealistic to expect all teens to instinctively possess talent at home, when in fact they have not faced these challenges before.
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According to Marti Harvey, a lecturer at the University of Texas at Arlington, she finds that her students don’t even know that they need to pay property taxes for the rest of their lives if they own property simply because they were never given the required information during their time in high school. She asserted in a column published by Dallas Morning News, “It’s a failing of our educational system that students don’t leave high school with this basic understanding, among other things. That’s why we need to bring back the old home economics class. Call it ‘Skills for Life’ and make it mandatory in high schools. Teach basic economics along with budgeting, comparison shopping, basic cooking skills, and time management. Give them a better start in real life than they get now.”
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She added, “We tend to be a society of extremes. Right now we’re trying to send people into STEM kinds of careers. However, I think administrators and legislators also need to think about people coming out of high school or even college without the ability to manage their money and to know how to lead a productive life.” With the introduction of a mandatory Home Economics class, not only do we prepare students for the responsibilities of the real world, but we ensure that they receive a balanced, holistic education that covers both the important academic subjects as well as the skills they need in order to survive as adults.