What the Ec?

Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. 
Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.

What the heck ever happened to Home Ec and Shop class? And Driver’s Ed for that matter? I do know that there are still a few of these classes left clinging to life in schools around the country, but with all of the budget cuts education is facing, I am quite certain that these types of ‘frivolous indulgences' are first in line at the Monetary Guillotine. 

Give me a moment while I climb upon my soapbox.

 Now – I consider Food and Shelter (and Clothing, call me crazy) to be necessities of everyday life. No food or drink for 3 weeks?  Most likely dead. No clothing or shelter for a couple of days (if you are lucky) in sub-zero temperatures?  Frozen like a popsicle. And dead. No Math or History for 3 months?  I’m fine, nobody panic.  Catch my drift here?

Please don’t get me wrong – I am 250% behind a wonderful, well-rounded education.  Nerd Alert – I loved school!  Everything about it, well, minus math and most sciences…not my particular forte. I actually sometimes miss school!  But the most experience I ever had with Home Ec in my School Career was making thumb-print pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving and milk carton graham cracker houses at Christmas time in elementary school and taking an elective of Cross-Stitch in 6^thgrade with Mrs. Haney.  (And there actually was a Wood Shop at that middle school, complete with the teacher missing a digit who taught the class).

I wholly believe that a Wonderful, Well-Rounded Education includes Home Ec, Shop, and Driver’s Ed right alongside Math, History and English. Unless you are lucky enough to have involved parents and/or family (sadly, so many kids are not this lucky but that’s a whole ‘nother Oprah ) who will teach you these things, where else are kids to learn Basic Life Skills?  On their own?  That requires a whole lot of gumption that really just doesn’t exist with kids anymore. Where, oh where, has all the gumption gone?? When did everything go down the wrong fork in road and get so lost? 

Give a kid the freezer section and feed them for life?  That is So So Wrong but so many people are So So Fine with that.  That’s why we are entering what I like to call GenerationTubs.  People don’t know how to do anything anymore – It’s so much easier for them to sit on the couch and eat a bag o’ chips than it is to learn how to grill some chicken and make a simple salad! It’s so bad that GenerationTubs will actually sit on the couch eating the bag o’ chips while watching something like the Food Network and rather than get inspired to get up and learn how to cook that meal, they will just go get a tub ‘o ice cream instead. 

And this goes for much more than just food. I get the strangest looks from some people when they find out that I, as a late twenty-something, do embroidery and enjoy going to craft stores and sell handmade baby onesie’s.  Twenty years ago, no one would have ever given that a second thought! Twenty years ago, people enjoyed a home-cooked meal with their families EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Not just a Single Day, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

But do not despair my friends – there is a small ReBeelution happening.  If you listen closely enough, the whisperings are everywhere.  Etsy (do yourself a favor and check it out and support it if you haven’t already) is a huge craft uprising.  It’s now a popular thing to have an urban garden, complete with chickens and a goat. Popular to can your own goods.  Popular to be an ‘Urban Homesteader’.  And we can use all of these Hip Movements to our advantage!

By no means, please don’t go off the deep-end and forsake the ways of your modern living.  Just start small – Learn Something (baking, cooking, canning, sewing, woodworking). Teach Something (baking, cooking, canning, sewing, woodworking). If we lead by example and make everyone remember how to value the Basics of Life, we can start a ReBeelution yet!  And by golly, just maybe my grandchildren will have the opportunity to have Home Ec part of their curriculum once again!

*DISCLAIMER* Equal life skills for both sexes. 

Girls with saws and boys with whisks!