812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 3,2001
Cooking, Sewing, Budgeting, Childcare Studies Prepare
Students For Life In The Real World
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.)
Home economics class isn’t what
it used to be.
In fact, it has a new name
family and consumer science.
The nationally designated name
replaces the high school course
that taught basic sewing and
cooking skills before 1980 s.
If you remember classrooms
lined with sewing machines at
one end and sterile kitchenettes
at the other, you probably re
member the era when only fe
males could take the course.
Times have changed. Now
males are as likely to sign up for
the class as females. In fact, it’s a
requirement in some of the
courses.
Sure, students still cook and
do a bit of sewing, but that is
only a small part of the course
work available through family
and consumer science.
At Manheim Central High
School, computers line one side
of the classroom wall. In a class
on financial management, Kelly
Grove teaches students about the
benefits, dangers, and differences
between using automatic teller
machine (ATM) cards and debit
cards.
Students receive a fictitious
$l,OOO to track a stock during
the course work. They team to
keep a household budget using a
base salary and a list of expenses
to pay. And careful record keep
ing is required.
People today can manage to
squeeze by with very little cook
ing skills and no sewing exper
tise, but they better know how to
balance a checkbook, budget
their 'income, and understand
financial terminology in order to
attain a healthy lifestyle.
In these classes, few students
appear bored. Instead, their
homework is done, they partici
pate in class discussions, and ea
gerly ask questions about the
subjects being discussed.
Although Mary Ellen Gardner,
lead teacher, questions whether
or not the students really realize
the importance of knowing the
information consumer classes
impart, many students respond
ed enthusiastically when asked
their opinion on class material.
“Since I’m taking this class,
I’m keeping more track of what
I’m spending, and I’m surprised.
I didn’t think I spent that
much,” 15-year-old Christina
said. “1 didn’t realize that man
aging finances was so hard. I
want to save more.”
Nutrition education has changed dramatically during
Mary Ellen Gardner’s 34-year of teaching. In past dec
ades, words such as salmonella, e. coll, and pefringens
were almost unknown. Now students learn how to fight
food- horned illnesses through proper food preparation.
Although she is too young to
have a credit card, Christina be
lieves she will be very cautious in
using one later in life. She ex
plained, “I’m shocked at how
much interest can affect in
comes.”
Christina said that she was
surprised to learn that there are
many different ways to save
money.
Through classroom exposure
to stock markets and savings,
Matthew Moyer, 16, plans to use
the knowledge he attained to in
vest wisely “and definitely save
more,” he said.
In a required class, Gardner
teaches nutrition. The subject is
also a deviation from the nutri
tion of decades past. At that time
little was taught about the dan
gers of food poisoning. In fact,
words such as salmonella, exoli,
and perfringens were seldom if
ever mentioned in the news.
Gardner explained, “That’s
because we continue to have
emerging pathogens. In the past
many victims of foodborne ill
nesses blamed it on a virus or
flu.’ v
Students learn that the best
way to fight food-borne illnesses
is through the four requirements
of “clean, cook, separate, and
chill.”
Homework in former home
economic classes was usually
limited to sewing projects at
home. But today’s students have
reports to prepare, manuals to
fill out, and posters to draw in
order to summarize findings and
elaborate on their own ideas in
reference to assignments.
Which brings up another dif
ference between classrooms of
the past and of today. Now stu
dents are searching the Web to
find the latest information. The
Web is a source used in place of
the old standbys of encyclopedias
and outdated textbooks. But stu
dents still need to credit their
sources. Website addresses and
dates are required.
A sewing class is required for
both males and females. They
have a choice to create a duffel
bag or windsox. They leam to
weave fabric from thread they
have created.
In his first exposure to sewing,
Alex Goleb, 14, was surprised. “I
thought it would be harder,” he
said of cutting out and sewing a
duffel bag. It’s also a lot more
fun than he expected.
Other electives in sewing in
clude wardrobe planning, fash
ion, and clothing care. Students
leam the basics of mending
clothing and participate in sew-
Learning to budget and pay expenses is an eye opener to many students, and one
that influences their spending habits.
Unlike past decades, males and females are required
to take an introductory sewing class, in his first sewing
project, Aiex Goleb, 14, works on a duffel bag.
ing projects for the community,
such as preparing head scarves
for cancer patients and stuffed
animals for needy children.
A popular class in child devel
opment is primarily filled with
females. Teacher Deb Strickler
said that students interested in
teaching elementary education
sign up for the class. But many
others sign up for the class be
cause they see that it will
strengthen their ability to parent
later in life.
For six weeks of the 18-week
course, the class will also operate
a preschool for the community.
Some of the time is also spent in
assisting other daycare and ele
mentary school classes.
“Anyone who wants to learn
about children and how they de
While some school districts have dropped consumer science courses, Manheim
Central High School requires students to participate in a comprehensive course to bet
ter prepare them to be responsible citizens in a changing world.
velop will benefit in career and
parenting skills by taking this
class,” said Amy, a senior. “It’s
helped me understand how chil
dren relate to us and how we re
late to children.” This input has
benefited Amy in connecting
with children at her church and
with her cousins.
While electives vary from
school to school, national guide
lines exist, but not every school
follows them as thoroughly as
what MCHS does.
Many family and consumer
science teachers consider MCHS
to have one of the best programs
in the state.
“I attribute it to Mary Ellen
Gardner,” Strickler said.
Gardner has taught at the
school for 34 years. She has seen
a lot of changes in that time
“mostly positive,” she said. “Our
administration and board mem
bers have been very supportive of
our program. We have four full
time teachers for 1,000 students
a good ratio when compared
to many other school districts.”
Gardner is convinced that stu
dents will benefit for years to
come from solid teaching in con
sumer sciences. It’s been her goal
to give them the best by keeping
current on reading topics, at
tending workshops, and partici
pating in the professional associ
ation of consumer science
teachers.
The four teachers rotate the
subjects they teach. “This way
we (department teachers) know
the entire program. We can sup
port and reinforce what is being
taught in other classes. We take
turns making up the tests.”
Since Gardner first began
teaching, family structure has
changed dramatically in the
community. More kids come
from single parent and blended
families. Students need to be
shown more basics, such as how
to use a vegetable peeler. People
use more convenience foods, and
are often amazed to find that
making something from scratch
isn’t as hard as they had thought.
Gardner said, “Our school’s
mission statement is ‘empower
ing the individual through devel
opment of academic and social
skills to become responsible citi
zens in a changing world.’ I
think our department is fulfilling
that.”
Gardner is pleased to hear
from students who comment,
“Consumer education is the most
important course I ever had.”
If they don’t realize it now,
they will later, Gardner believes.