In 2017, we did a letter campaign to the Dept of Education and Early Childhood Development to Bring Back Home Ec. Then we participated along with NBCC in presenting a professional development session to teachers.
In working with these teachers, we learned that there are some great programs, but each is unique and there are no standardized skills that every student is exposed to. And…there are many middle schools who have nothing at all in the lines of Home Ec, (known today as Culinary Arts and the like).
So, last year the call went out for suggestions from Branches and their members to offer specific ideas for standardized skills with relation to cooking, sewing, and home economics. The response was very robust, and we have 90 suggestions right now.
The intent is to organize and refine the ideas to prepare a brief that we can distribute and use regarding Home Economics skills that would be important to any middle school student or citizen for that matter. This brief will be called “Competency is Confidence”.
A workday on Sat April 27th will be held to prepare what we think all middle school students in NB should learn regarding home economics. Chandra Smith and I will co-facilitate at the hall that the Berwick-Mount Middleton Branch (Sussex area) uses. Marjory Goddard and her Branch are our generous hostesses.
We will begin at 10 and have a pot luck lunch. Any and all members are welcomed to come and help prepare the brief “Competency is Confidence”. It will be a fun and busy day for sure!
Following the workday, the brief will be formatted and then presented at Provincial Convention in June 2019. From there we will share the document with educators and decision-makers, with the hopes of it being adopted in the middle schools.
This is a large project that has taken some time to work on, but once you see the suggestions made I think you will agree it is worth the effort.
Submitted by Angela Scott, Past President
