As a health care provider, I see a tremendous deficit in young people knowing how to cook. To make a pot of soup from vegetables for example. The focus is on how to microwave “healthy” foods or select more “healthy” fast food. The focus should be on how to cook a casserole, a pot of soup from scratch, a healthy salad……It is very difficult to get a 20 year old to appreciate healthy foods when they don’t have the training/confidence to do more than microwave something out of a box. Teach them cooking basics while they are young.
29 Likes
If we did this in schools, it could double as part of the school lunch program.
9 Likes
And perhaps include a mandatory gardening curriculum in schools to educate children on where food comes from and what’s required to make it grow so they can develop respect for the entire process.
7 Likes
Cooking classes in school used to be a thing. Also, this kind of falls into parental responsibility. At some point, we have to look at parents not doing an adequate job at teaching children how to function and survive as independent adults.
As far as “healthy foods” go, even as an adult, I sometimes find it difficult to find healthy foods. Even simple things like fruits and vegetables are so full of chemicals that they aren’t very good for you. Labels like organic, pesticide free, no additives, are misleading due to technicalities in what is allowed to use those terms. We need to ban harmful chemicals in our foods, and have more accurate labeling of products, so people can make healthier decisions at the store.
1 Like
We had home economics in school. while I believe Parents are the primary base in this , having basic how to survive in life classes in school would be a good thing. I don’t however think it should be a law, we already have too many of those.
1 Like
Culinary/cooking classes are still a thing, it’s just that they’re mainly trade-school exclusive. My sons are taking it in their public high school though
Yea… this is called PARENTING. We don’t need another f-ing government agency for christ’s sake.
1 Like
Could also add in a Farmer’s Market type program to teach entrepreneurship, marketing, customer service. Ames, IA grade school had a program where the kids started the gardens at the end of one school year and had the market day in the next. Not sure, if they still have it as I saw it in 2012 or 2013.
1 Like
I think they did used to do some of this; I knew when I grew up “Home Ec” was a high school class that I think everyone was expected to teach and it was all about basic real-world activities like how to balance a checkbook, how to interview for a job, and the basics of cooking.
The major hitch to the core proposal presented is that since Trump has already stated he’s planning to do away with the National Department of Education, the question is how would such a policy proposal properly work alongside doing away with the primary government entity that would have previously been the primary agency responsible for making it happen?
By removing the Federal Department of Education, Trump is moving education back to the individual states. Each state can decide what education requirements are needed for its citizens.
When I was in high school we had a restaurant run by the students this week could be a great 1 semester required credit like home ec used to be
My school called it homemic. But this is pretty much on the parents to teach these things. My son alway watching me cook when I do and trys to help as well. Hes 4 and will even help me can up food as well. I buy local meat as well. And the farm sends me email on there meat sales and such and showes picture of animal on there farm in which I explain thats where this said meat came from ect.
I think allowing the young to learn basic life skills are great. The only time I really had to learn that was very minimal time at home so I didn’t learn really. If it was in school I probably would’ve hated learning it then but I’d be very grateful now to have basic life skills. Cooking, maybe even sewing, and how to properly clean certain things like glass, iron, ect. Just spitballing ideas.