What ever happened to home economics class?

No really. I can remember my parents talking about it being around when they were young. But I don’t recall it even being offered when I was in high school.

If you ask me, I think K-12 should formally cover far fewer topics.

All you really need before the age of 18 is reading, writing, and math.

More advanced math/statistics can be done in college – and anything else you want to learn about can be read in a book.

A senior-level capstone course in “home ec” might be useful – learn to cook a little, balance a checkbook, make a home budget, etc.

Of course – to me – that just sounds like an abdication of parental responsibility.

I mean, there was a time not that long ago when we hadn’t turned over the responsibility of raising our children.

Don’t lobby to bring back home ec.

If you are going to be an activist about it: Lobby parents to teach their children better life skills.

Maybe we missed an important moment in history there. When we finally closed down home ec, maybe we missed an opportunity. Instead of shutting down compulsory cooking classes for young women, maybe we would have been far better off simply demanding that the men learn how to cook, too. It’s not too late. Just as horsemanship, archery, and a facility with language were once considered essential “manly” arts, to be learned by any aspiring gentleman, so, perhaps, should be cooking.

-Anthony Bourdain, Medium Raw