Cooking Opens The World

My Students

Ever tried to cook and serve food and find that you do not have the cutlery or tools necessary? This is the challenge that meets my students each time we attempt to cook/bake in the Special Education Life Skills program. We are using whatever is left from the Home Economics Room after 40 years of classes.

My students are Special Education Life Skills students at a public middle school in Washington State.

The handicapping conditions include Autism, Intellectual Deficits, Health Impairments, and severe Learning Disabilities. Our school is high poverty where the majority of the school's students qualify for the free and reduced meal program. 100% of the students in my Life Skills program qualify for the free and reduced meal program, which supports why I teach cooking skills to my students. I want my students to be able to support themselves with nutritious foods that they can make for themselves, as well as use these same skills in future employment opportunities in the food service area.

My Project

The cutlery is essential to the food service program as the students need to be able to eat what they produce as well as learn how to set a table correctly and with the proper utensils. Currently the only utensils in the Home Ec Room are those that I have purchased over the years through garage sales and donations, which has caused a mish-mash of what is available. The towels are essential because we do not have kitchen towels or wash towels. We are using cut up bath towels for this purpose. Many of our potholders are as old as the school (over 40 years old). I want my students to be safe in the kitchen and prevent burns. When we have any leftovers, we usually end up throwing them out as we do not have a way to store them. With the aluminum foil and plastic, we will be able to save them to share with others another day. The plastic gloves will keep the food sanitary and safe, as well as allowing my students with tactile issues to touch and prepare food.

Allowing my students access to quality cutlery and cooking materials will enrich their lives as well as make them feel as if others care.

We have been using cast-offs for so long that I want my students to have new items that were purchased just for them. The cooking experiences will allow the students access to skills that will benefit them for life.