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High School Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher

Interviews

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Grand Forks Public School's family and community sciences program's mission statement is to "improve the quality of individual, family and community life through education."

It's not surprising then that family and consumer science teachers have plenty of variety in their jobs.

They teach students how to balance budgets, how to properly set a table and even how to make their own fashion designs.

These days, this field isn't just about teaching sewing, cooking and shopping. Teachers in this field have to constantly improve and expand their skills.

Lorraine Pollock teaches family and consumer sciences. Even as a young child, Pollock knew she wanted to be a teacher.

"My favorite game was playing teacher, and I also enjoyed cooking and sewing. The home ec teachers I had at the time inspired me to choose that specialty."

In a typical day of teaching, Pollock had a homeroom and a mentoring program.

"I taught hospitality and tourism for one class, and then I would teach child studies for another and family living for another. I also taught culinary technology, fashion design and housing. You have to know many things."

If you want to teach family and consumer sciences, it's very important to be flexible and have good relationship skills.

"Your subjects are so personal. If you can't relate to the kids, you might as well forget it," says Pollock.

Her advice is to be a generalist, not a specialist.

"You should also study math and sciences. Pick up as many home economics courses as you can along the way. The broader your range of knowledge, the better."

Pollock also believes that home economists should look to other areas for employment besides the school system.

"I think we can find work in areas such as writing newspaper columns, doing research for companies, etc.

"New graduates who couldn't find a teaching job are out there doing lots and lots of different things. There are many other areas that can be explored."

Violanda Adams teaches family and consumer sciences at Richard M. Teitelman school in New Jersey.

When Adams was a high school student herself, she loved sewing and cooking, and she loved her part-time job at a bakery. She discovered she had a talent for food preparation.

In Grade 8, a local couple paid Adams to bake their wedding cake. When it was time to plan her career, family and consumer sciences seemed the logical choice.

Adams spent four years at college taking teacher training with a major in family and consumer sciences, then applied for certification after three months of practical training. That was over 20 years ago.

"Now in New Jersey," Adams says, "you do your practical teaching, then you have to get a teaching job and then be mentored for the first years.

"After the first year, based on recommendations, you can become permanently certified. But this is different in every state, so people have to find out the requirements in their own area."

Adams teaches Grade 7 and 8 students in a classroom that has a full kitchen set up. Throughout a year, she will educate approximately 700 people.

A typical day is spent teaching six 42-minute classes. Her responsibilities this year include teaching nutrition education and food preparation.

Next year, she will offer social dining, which includes etiquette and table settings.

"We don't just prepare food; we also learn how to make stylish presentations," she says.

"Usually, I invite other teachers to come in and dine. We live in a resort area that is known for its exclusive restaurants.

"Many of my students will eventually be employed in these establishments. So I try to give them a start, and teach them how to conduct themselves personally and how to market themselves."

Adams' work can be stressful.

"It's a high-energy day. Dealing with personalities is always a challenge, and there is always a lot of paperwork involved in any area of teaching," Adams explains. "I have to monitor six kitchens and be sure that the inexperienced people are working in a clean and safe manner.

"I need to improve my computer skills, but I haven't had the time to sit down and learn the computer. Another thing to remember is that this is a job that cuts into your personal life.

"For example, I have to do my class's grocery shopping on my own time, and I have to find time to do my personal research and professional development."

On the other hand, she finds many aspects very enjoyable.

"I get to do things that are of particular interest to me. I have a lot of freedom in developing the curriculum. Then I do have the summer months off to unwind.

"If you are interested in this career, the most important thing is to research the availability of employment. You need to make sure what is going to be available to you and which states may offer the best opportunities."

Barry Robertson agrees that researching the availability of employment is very important.

"Look and see if there is going to be a home ec program. I hear the media talking about technology and industrial arts courses, but not much about home ec," he says.

"There is very little home ec that is actually taught now."

Robertson majored in family and consumer sciences in 1984 after working in the food services industry and deciding to become a teacher.

When Robertson was teaching family and consumer sciences, he taught Grades 7 to 12.

"My subjects included foods, nutrition, clothing, child development, family living and a course in independent living."

Although Robertson was initially attracted to family and consumer sciences because of his background in food, he discovered that he enjoyed teaching about clothing the most.

"I got a lot of satisfaction from seeing the kids wear the things that they made from this class. That was a rush!"

Robertson also enjoyed working with the kids who were not so strong academically.

"Some of the kids who weren't doing so great in school were really good with their hands. They could succeed in my class and it improved their self-esteem so much. I really liked seeing that happen."

However, only working with kids once a week was stressful.

"It was hard to get to know them, hard to fit in," he says.

Robertson found that preparation was vital to teaching family and consumer sciences.

"I always had to have everything set up. I did a lot of labs, a lot of hands-on exercises. I always got a lot of good feedback from the community."

In fact, he tried to make his classes a community event!

"One time the Lion's Club had donated football or basketball uniforms to the class. They had a charter night, and as a way of showing appreciation, we went in and served the meal. They loved being pampered by the young people."

Another time, Robertson collected a bag of zucchinis from the garden and taught the class to make zucchini muffins.

"At that time, the community had never heard of zucchini muffins. Everyone was so surprised to find how good they are!"