A Big shout out to Rachel Ray and Anges Zhelesnick

I confess, I do not watch Rachel Ray very often but it not because she is not doing good things!

I have watched her several times in the summer and thought...."This is simple, something I do and something I might teach about in school." 

Well, that is exactly why Rachel is wonderful.  She teaches the public about food and how to make food most often in a simple way that most people can copy and make at home.

She re-enforces what a Family and Consumer Science teacher might do when teaching food basics with beginning students. 

I personally would like to thank Rachel for bringing FACS/Home Economics into the news (Of course I am not crazy enough to think that Rachel will read this!)  But thank you Rachel for making it known that what FACS teachers do is vital and important for children all around the world.

Below is a link to the interview.  Enjoy it and keep working on putting FACS programs on the forefront of education.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/lifestyle/17098_An_Inspirational_Viewer_Turns_100/index.html#at_pco=tcb-1.0&at_tot=5&at_ab=-&at_pos=1

With Love From Your former FACS teacher,
Jane

Back to Preaching about Family and Consumer Sciences

Today I was informed that Minnesota is doing or has done a study on advancing health equity.

I know and realize that there are and have always been disparities between the haves and those that have not.  I grew up in a family with-out many funds.  I know what it feels like to need something and not being able to afford that need.

But, as I look at all of these societal issues, that have been on the increase in the last few years, including obesity; I find it ironic that items that have been cut in education because they are not at a certain academic standard could be the answer to solve some of these issues.  (Long sentence!)   FACS and Physical Education.

Several years ago it was legislated that junior high FACS courses are no longer required in Minnesota.  Slowly we are seeing school districts remove FACS to require world language and advanced placement courses.  I am not against any of these courses but I do know that every student that walks the halls of a middle or junior high school will have to deal with food and nutrition sometime in their life.

There was a time that people assumed that cooking could be managed by anyone but that is no longer true.  When families do not prepare meals, in homes, on a regular basis, the example is not set and the learning stops. 

We need to think about the importance of keeping these FACS programs alive to bring back healthy food preparation for our children's future.  There is no way the current societal food issues can be battled unless children learn about proper food preparation sometime in their life. 

As FACS professionals we need to focus on "healthy", "good for you" food lessons that students will enjoy and take home to their families.

One thing that I required in my healthy living course was making a meal at home.  Students planned it, had family members comment on it and sent me pictures of the meal and were required to do clean up.  I know this is not a new idea and some said that it was an equity issue for students, but my theory is that everyone has to eat.  I had them prepare foods that they knew their family could afford.  Most enjoyed the project and some enjoyed it so much they did it more often.  (Parents love the assignment.)

As a group of FACS professionals we need to continue to make the work that we do public and positive.

Keep your programs in the news.  Start Facebook and Twitter accounts that you can put pictures of your student work up for parents to see.  These pictures will start dialog at home and then, some of your students just might educate their parents.

With love from your retired FACS teacher,

Jane

Yup it is cold outside, why does it seem different now that it did 30 years ago?

I am thinking about the difference between "cold" now and "cold" when I was a kid.  Growing up in Minnesota we never thought cold was a novelty.  It had been pretty much part of a Minnesotans life. 

Many of my friends were flabbergasted when school was canceled through out the state due to cold.  Being that I have worked in the field of education it does not seem odd to me.  We have many children that often parent themselves as they get ready for school and do not understand how important it is to protect themselves from the environment.

As I look at our society these simple things make me believe that Family and Consumer Sciences are so very important.  Teaching basics is often passed by because people assume that those simple things are just something that one should know.  But when families don't have time or energy to have these conversations with their kids they get over looked. 

When we as adults jump from car to building, our kids see this and think they don't need a coat because they do not know what it is like to be with out heat.  I started thinking about what it might have been like in the 1700's trying to stay warm during this "Polar Vortex"  and I can't imagine how awful it must have been for them. 

I personally have experienced being very cold during a car breakdown, at night, a dead cell phone and no one seeing me to stop and pick me up while walking on the freeway.  It was an unpleasant trek and I can't believe I did not get frost bite.

The news media has made a big deal about the cold and snow from this storm but it is o.k.  Because really, unless our kids have no communication with the outside world in this day and age, they have learned you can get frost bite in 5 minutes when it "feels" like 50 below.

Hopefully it will stick with them and they will remember that those coats, hats and mittens serve a purpose.

With love from your retired FACS teacher.

Jane

P.S.  For those of you with very below normal temps in the South....it is not that bad.  Trust me.  :-)