Home Economics Education

I know, I know. Just hearing those words probably conjures up some sort of impression of a "Susie homemaker" or an easy college major. Not so. It was way harder than let's say......umm, oh, maybe an English major.

Even this picture of a Home Economics class in 1911 doesn't do much to dispel the stereotype (although it is kind of funny.) After all, how much training does a person need to run a home, cook, clean and tend children? It's easy, right? Certainly not very hard or demanding, correct?

I recently had to defend the rigor of my major to one of my very own children! But considering the majors they have chosen, mine does look kind of light weight comparatively speaking. I decided it was time to educate and share something you may not have known about the best college major out there :)

It was my major of choice and I loved it! I never vacillated or changed my major the entire time I was in college. After taking many cooking and sewing classes in High School from Mrs. Woodward, I decided that I would major in HEE. I started out my freshman year at BYU taking the required classes and I didn't deviate at all. Here is the training and education I got in the process:

• 9 credit hours of Chemistry in preparation for the food science classes (organic and inorganic chemistry) teaching why good nutrition matters chemically to our bodies

a major that consisted of four minors in:

• 13 credit hours in Child Development & Family Relations - classes in child development, achieving success in marriage, family relationships, early childhood education
  
• 12 credits in Clothing and Textiles - classes in flat pattern design and construction, general textiles, selection and care of clothing, tailoring (I made a coat and two wool suits that I took on my mission and I still have them) & children's clothing
  
• 12 credits in Food Science and Nutrition - classes in basic human nutrition, meal management, and the science of food (no food prep classes were included, sadly)
  
• 12 credits in Family Resource Management - classes in household equipment, principles of home management, family money management and family residence management and entertaining (do any of you remember when I lived in the "management house" the semester we got engaged and we had our families meet there for the first time?)

I also had classes in interior design & home health care and nursing for my major, along with 28 credits of secondary education (including student teaching at Lakeridge junior high and Orem High school) learning how to teach the information I learned in the classes above.

In my general education classes I took: Art history, English composition and reading, voice diction and interpretation, American Heritage, Animal Biology, English exposition and writing, microbiology, political science - current affairs, 11 credits of Spanish, 12 credits of religion, and my four PE classes were team handball, tennis, bowling and an ill-fated skiing class (but I did get B+ in it, even if I did break my leg. My teacher really should have given me an A, considering....)

I received a wonderful and useful education. In fact, I think I use the knowledge, practices and information I gained through my education every day of my life. I value my training for it's practical application, as well as knowing that I could support myself and my family some day if I ever needed to do that because of my teaching credentials. Higher education produces so many positive results and applications for life. My education in Home Economics is something I highly value. The major still exists, but now it is called Family and Consumer Sciences and the class load has been cut down dramatically, so that a students can now complete it in four years instead of five. I truly believe that the major helps teach and train people to improve their lives, the lives of their families, and their communities. It's a major that has valuable daily application in keeping families strong, functioning and contributing to society.