Home Economics Letter to the Editor

"During the 20 years I taught home economics in both junior and senior high school, I made it a priority to teach healthy eating habits. My students always prepared dishes that were nutritious and easy for them to cook.

Fresh fruits and vegetables were included in these lessons whenever possible, and we frequently discussed the hazards of including too much salt, sugar and fat in the diet.

These students often returned during their college years to thank me for teaching them these skills.

I was disheartened when home economics was eliminated from the curriculum in many New York school systems.

Most children are no longer taught how to cook at home and therefore do not have the tools to help them make good food choices.

Bringing home economics back to the classroom would be a huge step toward educating our population about the hazards of obesity while teaching them to eat responsibly.

AUDREY MANNERS
Nantucket, Mass., Sept. 6, 2011

(Manners, Audrey. "Bringing Home Ec Back to the Classroom." Letter. 6 Sept. 2011. New York Times. New York: New York Times Company, 2011. Print.)

Argument:
1) Home Economics classes teach students to prepare dishes that are nutritious and easy to cook
2) Home Economics classes teach students about nutritious foods and unhealthy foods
3) With out these classes most students do not know how to cook or make healthy decisions
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Therefore home economics classes should be instituted to teach children these skills