Real Skills for Real Kids

Family and Consumer Science provides the bridge needed by all students to help them understand relationships and communication, child care, and nutrition. As a FACS teacher, I believe that the foundation of our society is responsible adults who find joy in their lives, are able to problem solve and communicate well, and are successful community members who have stable, loving families and relationships. The first step in achieving this is showing my students that they are deserving of happiness and success.

My biggest goal as a FACS teacher is to provide students with new and exciting experiences that also challenges and prepares them to be successful in today's world.

To do this, the curriculum has to be molded to fit their lives and interests, which is why I'm requesting these materials for my classroom for our next three units:

- Relationships and Identity: During this unit, we discuss types of families, healthy and unhealthy relationships, and identity. I am requesting a class set of Hey Kiddo, a graphic novel dealing with complex familial relationships and a parent struggling with addiction, to read as a class. In this unit we will also discuss what makes up our identities and create double sided masks.

- Childcare: In this unit, we complete the Red Cross Babysitter Training and students will have the opportunity to become certified. We typically reuse diapers and wipes (to save on costs and reduce waste) but after two years of use, our current supplies are beginning to show signs of wear and dry out.

- Nutrition and wellness: During this unit, students learn about kitchen safety and cleanliness as well as nutrition. The mixer will allow us to easily complete more complex recipes and give students a taste of being in a professional kitchen!