High School prepares students for the future academically, but does not always prepare them with the life skills they need to take care of themselves. To ease this, CHS has electives such as Introduction to Foods that teach students basic life skills. It is then up to the student to decide if they need to take any other types of classes. However, the options at CHS are limited. Should there be more options, and should they be required?
Camas High’s foods teacher Mrs. Studdard loves teaching her three foods classes, but does not necessarily think it is the job of the school district to force students to take Home Ec classes. “I think it is absolutely useful because at some point you do need to live on your own, but I don’t know that I feel that it should be required only because some kids have such a direct path. They only have so many classes and the way you need so many credits to graduate. It doesn’t leave for a lot of leeway“.
Mrs. Studdard suggests that if students do not learn basic life skills in school, they should use the resources that are unique to their generation. “You [students] have so many advantages that we never had. You can Youtube anything and it will show you how to do anything or on google… We didn’t have that sort of thing”.
CHS counselor Miranda Lincoln agrees, “I don’t believe home economics classes should be a requirement… Students may not have an interest in learning various home economics topics, so making it a requirement may take away from other interests a student may have, especially if they may be learning some of these skills in the home environment.”
Junior Isabella Rollins and Senior Katie Heilman are both in favor of having these classes offered. However, neither want to be forced to take them, especially when they already understand how to do most of these things already.
“There was one kid in my foods class that didn’t know how to boil an egg,” Rollins explained. “I think sewing should be offered as an elective. Like as an art credit. These skills should be offered as electives, but not required”.
“Cooking yeah, but cleaning? Shouldn’t people already know how to do that?” Heilman asked jokingly.
All in all, with how busy students’ schedules are, most think these classes may be interesting to take and to learn. However, it would be taking up too much of students’ time if the student doesn’t need it. It should be an option but not a requirement, so that students who already know these skills have time for other important things. It should something that we add to CHS’s options within the next few years.
