Did you know?
Members of the Illinois State Men's Basketball team designed their own uniforms? This isn't because they decided they wanted to take up sewing as a hobby. No, they are Apparel, Merchandising, and Design (AMD) majors at Illinois State. AMD is a major within the FCS department, just one of the many career opportunities within FCS. Read more about this great story
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Wednesday, April 16, 2014
What do we do in a FCS classroom?
FCS classrooms are a lot of work and a TON of fun. Learning should be fun. Students in a FCS classroom learn while using their hands. Daily, students learn skills that they will use the rest of their lives. Here are some examples of what may happen in a FCS classroom:
We may spend a day in the kitchen learning how to cut a chicken into pieces. This is a great skill to know, a whole chicken is much cheaper than buying the parts. Click here if YOU want to learn how to cut a whole chicken into pieces
After we prepare our chicken and create a well-balanced, nutritious meal we need to set the table. Proper table etiquette is not often taught at home. If you are not sure about what utensils to use for what this may help:
A class period may be spent on time management. If you would like to view some time management ideas check this link out. Time management tips
We may spend a day in the kitchen learning how to cut a chicken into pieces. This is a great skill to know, a whole chicken is much cheaper than buying the parts. Click here if YOU want to learn how to cut a whole chicken into pieces
After we prepare our chicken and create a well-balanced, nutritious meal we need to set the table. Proper table etiquette is not often taught at home. If you are not sure about what utensils to use for what this may help:
Teachers are Thieves
As a future teacher I have accepted that I will be a thief. I will steal good ideas from teachers before me to make myself a better teacher. It is no secret that teachers do this, we are trained to beg, borrow, and steal. This is how education works.
That being said, this is a great thing. Educators take other educators' ideas, use them, tweak them, and pass them on. Our minds work together and create great things. Since we are teachers, we make loads of money, more money than we could ever spend (haha just kidding!). Teachers are poor, this is not a secret either, we CHOOSE to teach because we love it.
This being said, money isn't so bad either. Here is a site that teachers share ideas AND get paid, by other teachers. What a great idea.
Click here to explore the genius idea that is "Teachers Pay Teachers"
Here are some other places I frequently steal from:
The first resource I want to highlight is the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. They produce a research journal that is excellent. I recommend subscribing if you are a FCS teacher! AAFCS research journal website
The Utah Education Network is a great resource for FCS teachers. They have lesson plans for whole units on many different subjects within FCS. I find myself perusing this website often to come up with new ideas or tweak the ones I already have. Utah Education Network
That being said, this is a great thing. Educators take other educators' ideas, use them, tweak them, and pass them on. Our minds work together and create great things. Since we are teachers, we make loads of money, more money than we could ever spend (haha just kidding!). Teachers are poor, this is not a secret either, we CHOOSE to teach because we love it.
This being said, money isn't so bad either. Here is a site that teachers share ideas AND get paid, by other teachers. What a great idea.
Click here to explore the genius idea that is "Teachers Pay Teachers"
Here are some other places I frequently steal from:
The first resource I want to highlight is the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. They produce a research journal that is excellent. I recommend subscribing if you are a FCS teacher! AAFCS research journal website
The Utah Education Network is a great resource for FCS teachers. They have lesson plans for whole units on many different subjects within FCS. I find myself perusing this website often to come up with new ideas or tweak the ones I already have. Utah Education Network
Why teach Family and Consumer Sciences?
I am sure you, your parents, or maybe your grandparents took a Home Economics class in high school. Depending on when this class occurred, it may have been only girls, both genders, required, or an elective. FCS has gone through many changes, including it's name. Family and Consumer Sciences is the "new" Home Economics. It is now a Career and Technical Education course, this means it is aimed at helping students learn some skills to succeed in a career after high school.
Some FCS teachers do not like it when people refer to their course as "Home Ec." I can see where they are coming from as home ec. used to be considered only for girls to train them to be good wives. Cornell's explanation of how FCS changed women's history I, on the other hand, don't mind at all when people refer to my career choice as home ec. This is because it gives me a chance to correct them and explain how far FCS has come. University of Michigan's short history on Home Economics
For years FCS classes were removed from schools because they were considered non-essential. This lead to many students graduating from school without the skills they needed to live on their own. This is not entirely caused by FCS classes being cut from schools. As more and more families found necessity in both parents working outside the home (the great U turn- caused by the cost of living increasing without the average wage increasing) it became increasingly difficult for parents to be at home to teach their children basic skills.
Here are a few links to articles about the necessity of teaching Family and Consumer Sciences in school:
The Boston Globe has as great argument for the case of keeping Family and Consumer Sciences in school. They discuss not only the essential skills taught in a FCS curriculum, but provide a short history lesson as well.The Boston Globe's Case for teaching FCS in the classroom
This article discusses the "lost" boys and girls who graduated high school with little to know domestic skills and the experience of one of these young women. It's a short article and has a personal touch! Cooking Light Magazine weighs in on the importance of FCS
I hope this is helpful for those of you who are new to Family and Consumer Sciences!
Some FCS teachers do not like it when people refer to their course as "Home Ec." I can see where they are coming from as home ec. used to be considered only for girls to train them to be good wives. Cornell's explanation of how FCS changed women's history I, on the other hand, don't mind at all when people refer to my career choice as home ec. This is because it gives me a chance to correct them and explain how far FCS has come. University of Michigan's short history on Home Economics
For years FCS classes were removed from schools because they were considered non-essential. This lead to many students graduating from school without the skills they needed to live on their own. This is not entirely caused by FCS classes being cut from schools. As more and more families found necessity in both parents working outside the home (the great U turn- caused by the cost of living increasing without the average wage increasing) it became increasingly difficult for parents to be at home to teach their children basic skills.
Here are a few links to articles about the necessity of teaching Family and Consumer Sciences in school:
The Boston Globe has as great argument for the case of keeping Family and Consumer Sciences in school. They discuss not only the essential skills taught in a FCS curriculum, but provide a short history lesson as well.The Boston Globe's Case for teaching FCS in the classroom
This article discusses the "lost" boys and girls who graduated high school with little to know domestic skills and the experience of one of these young women. It's a short article and has a personal touch! Cooking Light Magazine weighs in on the importance of FCS
I hope this is helpful for those of you who are new to Family and Consumer Sciences!
Hello, Everybody
Hello,
As someone who never imagined having a blog post, this is a strange experience. First, I want to say, "thanks" for deciding to spend some time reading my posts. Second, I would like to say I hope this is worth your time. I want to provide an interesting experience for the reader as I share my experiences, opinions, and what I hope you consider knowledge with you.
I plan to post links that I find interesting and I hope you can connect with what I post. Please leave comments and feel free to, "talk back" to my posts and share your opinions. I have always loved learning, so please feel free to teach me.
Most of my posts will be related to teaching or learning, but I have many other interests. If you would like to learn more about those check out my page called "About Ms. Thomson."
As someone who never imagined having a blog post, this is a strange experience. First, I want to say, "thanks" for deciding to spend some time reading my posts. Second, I would like to say I hope this is worth your time. I want to provide an interesting experience for the reader as I share my experiences, opinions, and what I hope you consider knowledge with you.
I plan to post links that I find interesting and I hope you can connect with what I post. Please leave comments and feel free to, "talk back" to my posts and share your opinions. I have always loved learning, so please feel free to teach me.
Most of my posts will be related to teaching or learning, but I have many other interests. If you would like to learn more about those check out my page called "About Ms. Thomson."
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