In 1899, Home Economics was born, the brainchild of Ellen Swallow Richards, who
began having summer conferences in domestic science fields. By 1910, Richards was
on the council of the National Education Association, tasked with the responsibility of
overseeing the introduction of Home Economics education in public schools.
In 1917, there were 405 Oklahoma public school students enrolled in Home Economics
classes, which were female dominated and focused primarily on cooking and sewing. In
1945, Future Homemakers of America began, an attempt to prepare students for
leadership roles in the home and workplace, but for many years, “Home Ec.” classes
were still viewed as a place for young ladies to learn how to be homemakers, even
though by then many of those same young ladies were expected to enter the work force
after graduation from high school, as well as taking care of children and a home.
Even as late as the 1980s, Home Ec. classes were offered in Oklahoma’s public
schools, still focused on cooking and sewing. But change was on its way. In 1994, the
name changed to more accurately reflect the complexity of the field. No longer Home
Ec., but now Family and Consumer Science classes and with the name change came a
paradigm shift.
While Home Ec. classes were geared towards teaching young ladies to be good
homemakers, FCS classes – where students can still learn to cook and sew – teach so
much more.
“You see a lot of posts on social media, wondering why public schools don’t teach Home
Ec. and life skills classes anymore,” said Marietta FCS Advisor Amanda Faulkenberry.
“But it didn’t go away, it’s just changed.”
According to Faulkenberry, the major difference between the two is a simple one.
“FCS focuses less on the homemaking side and more on preparing for the workforce,”
she said. “We still cook and sew, but it’s more focused on a career cluster. When I teach
cooking, it’s so students can be prepared to work in the food industry. The concepts and
ideals are the same as Home Ec., but the end goal is a little different – a little broader.”
From Culinary Arts to Counseling & Mental Health Services and Teaching to
Therapeutic Services, FCS has a career cluster for just about everything. And as the
program began to broaden, encompassing more career clusters, it also began to grow
in numbers. In 2024, there are 42,530 students – both young men and ladies – enrolled
in FCS classes across the state of Oklahoma, exploring career pathways that have the
potential to lead to jobs.
Currently, Faulkenberry’s students in Culinary Basics class can earn Food Handler
certification. It’s a certification necessary for any job in the food service industry, and
employers appreciate hiring someone who already has the certification, so they don’t
have to take the time and expense to help their employees earn it.
“In each career pathway, there are certifications,” explained Faulkenberry, “and my plan
is to be able to offer more of them as students have completed the requisite courses.”
Possible certifications aside, Faulkenberry’s students can learn fashion design and
construction, including basic and advanced sewing techniques; how to safely handle,
prepare, and serve food, including nutrition; personal financial literacy, and a whole
bunch of other life skills. So just because it isn’t labeled Home Ec. anymore doesn’t
mean those skills are not being taught.
“When Home Ec. classes were introduced into public schools, most girls were getting
married and becoming homemakers,” Faulkenberry said. “Now, they’re still taking care
of a home, but most are going out into the working world, too. And that’s what schools
are supposed to do – get kids ready for the real world. So, if the real world is work, then
that’s what we need to prepare them for.”
If you think about it, unlike the early Home Economics teachers, Faulkenberry does
double duty.
“My goal for kids is for them to have the necessary skills to be productive members of
society,” she said. “I want them to be able to keep a job and run their own household.
Many of our kids will need to graduate and do both, work and care for a family and a
home. But I want them to find a balance between work and family. All of us need that.”
So, contrary to what you may have read on social media, Home Economics classes
haven’t gone away, they’ve just evolved.