How many of you did home economics vs. industrial arts?

[ajkel64]

For my Higher School Certificate here in Australia I did Home Economics and Farm Mechanics. I wanted to learn how to cook for when I left home and Farm Mechanics as I though about going into this field at one point in time. I wish I had have done Industrial Arts as my my Home Handyman skills are legendary, in the poor department.

 

[Bakker1964]

I did Home Ec in grade 7, and shop in grade 8.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Probably more so!

Very true and when youre trying to turn yourself in husband material someday, knowing how to cook a lady a wonderful meal is just as important as being able to fix her car.

 

[Avi]

While in high school he was sold the guidance counselor "get a BSc and the world will be your oyster" bill of goods so he got his BSc and promptly found out after graduating that while employable it was as a poorly paid grunt. Did that for about eight years and finally packed it in after seeing me regularly make more at my part-time uni job than his annual full-time salary.


As long as there wasn't anything unplanned in the oven

Ahh I see, I think that is changing a bit but perhaps clustered in the biotech centers and it does not help that there is such a bias towards Ph.D's to get out of tech/grunt work.

Regards
Avi

 

[Flintstone65]

6th grade (mid-70's) it was mandatory to take both. I remember sewing an apron and baking cookies -- Snickerdoodles, and I ate so many that I threw up and they had to call my parents to come get me (yep, I was THAT kid). I also remember making a key holder (in the shape of a key) in wood shop. But honestly, I think 6th grade was too young, I'd forgotten most of that stuff by the time I made it to 10th grade. Also, they wouldn't let 6th graders use any of the saws, we could only use the sanders -- still remember burning the wood on the disk sander from too much pressure.....maybe I remember more than I thought. And yes, I'll still eat Snickerdoodle cookies, but I pace myself now.

 

[DBT]

My senior year of high school, a new class was offered. They called it Independent Living. Girls took Home Ec, boys took Independent Living. Same teachers, same classrooms, same subjects.


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[The Knize]

I took woodworking, metalworking and electronics. Had I taken home economics the other boys would have teased me unmercifully. That was in the 60’s.

This, unfortunately, methinks. In high school electronics. All pretty worthless, except for the work I did in the electric energy industry later. I never owned a table or band saw, much less a wood or metal lathe, much less a jointer plane, so the wood and metal shop did not apply to much. I later worked construction in the summers as a carpenter's helper. Learned lots of useful stuff there. I wish I had taken more typing and in the regular school year. I took that one summer and it sure has helped over the decades. This was the 60s, but I do not think guys stood out that much in typing class. In Home Ec it would have been something else altogether.

My high school had a vocational school. It would have been incredibly cool to have been able to take auto repair, auto body repair, or bricklaying or carpentry. Be really nice to be able to work with mortar and/or dry wall mud. But that would have required a change in career path! Small engine repair would have been a really nice option, too.

 

[Doc4]

Seems to me industrial arts consisted of woodworking, metal shop and drafting. Still have the knife racks and dust tray. I really enjoyed drafting.

In Grade 8, the boys took drafting, electricity, wood shop and metal shop. Grade 9 it was just wood shop and metal shop.

This was 1974 and 1975. Back then boys took Industrial Arts and girls took Home Economics

Ditto for me ... boys did shop and girls did home ec. I think if you really really wanted to, you could switch and do the other path instead, but I don't think any boys did. I think there was one girl in my shop class, but she was "one of the girls who smoked". But the courses were mandatory in Jr. High (grade 8-9).

In highschool, I took wood shop all through grades 10-12, but all the shop courses were just electives. There was no home ec, that I remember, but they added auto shop to wood and metal. There was also a course called "consumer ed" that taught us basic consumer skills.

 

[RayClem]

Unfortunately, there were simply not enough hours. in a day. I was taking things like chemistry, physics, advanced algebra, trigonometry, calculus, German, etc. in preparation for engineering school.

They had a typing class, but it was mostly for girls who might go into secretarial jobs. Then when I got to engineering school, I found that typing was the most critical skill. That was back before word processors, so any typing mistakes often meant you had to retype the entire paper. Early computers were fed by either ticker tape or punch cards. Those instruction had to be flawless. If you made a mistake, you had to retype the entire tape or punch card. Thus, learning how to type with zero mistakes at a reasonable speed was crucial. You could not hit the backspace or delete keys like I do so frequently today.

In the dorms, you had to wash and iron your own clothes, so that was another skill I had to learn. Later when I moved into an apartment with some friends, we had to do our own grocery shopping and cooking, while remaining within budget; more life skills to be learned. Once I purchased my first house, I had to learn how to do all the maintenance things needed: electrical and plumbing, basic carpentry, painting, pest extermination, etc. I even built a garage with the help of some neighbors. And then there were the car mechanics such as changing oil, engine tune ups, etc. I even rebuilt the engine in my VW Beetle.

Now that I am approaching my 7th decade, I have most of the skills I need. However, I no longer have the strength, stamina, balance or agility to accomplish what needs to be done. Now I have to pay folks to do for me what I used to do myself.

When you still have youth on your side, take advantage of every opportunity to learn every skill you can. As Ben Franklin said, if you empty your purse into your head, no one can ever steel that from you. However, one day, old age will do what no man can do.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

This, unfortunately, methinks. In high school electronics. All pretty worthless, except for the work I did in the electric energy industry later. I never owned a table or band saw, much less a wood or metal lathe, much less a jointer plane, so the wood and metal shop did not apply to much. I later worked construction in the summers as a carpenter's helper. Learned lots of useful stuff there. I wish I had taken more typing and in the regular school year. I took that one summer and it sure has helped over the decades. This was the 60s, but I do not think guys stood out that much in typing class. In Home Ec it would have been something else altogether.

My high school had a vocational school. It would have been incredibly cool to have been able to take auto repair, auto body repair, or bricklaying or carpentry. Be really nice to be able to work with mortar and/or dry wall mud. But that would have required a change in career path! Small engine repair would have been a really nice option, too.

I took typing as well. There were several guys in my typing class in 1966-67. I forgot in my original. Post that I also took auto shop. That was pretty cool. I remember tearing down a 3 speed transmission and putting it back together.

 

[seattleshaver]

I took "shop" and typing. Typing turned out to be very valuable since now we all type and I can do so rapidly without looking at the keyboard. "Shop" was a joke. I had no skills in that area before or afterward. I think I did learn a little drafting and made a stool but I didn't even take it home it was so lame.

Some guys took Industrial Arts I and II if it was going to fit into their future plans so the things some people made were much better than the things other people made.

Since half the people (including me) didn't really want to be there it wasn't the most productive class. Typing, on the other hand, was pretty beneficial for most people although that was so apparent at the time. The shop guys weren't planning on doing a lot of typing I don't think.

 

[RenoRichard]

Boys only were allowed shop; girls home economics. Times have changed

 

[Avi]

I would not be surprised if the new equivalent of this is robotics / raspberry pi / arduino electronics at the school level . How cool is it to make drones / battle robots etc? This is a super fun time to be a kid ( or to be an adult who pretends he is a kid ) ( well ignoring the black mirror episode we are all living in ;( )

regards
avi

 

[TinyTim]

I stood out like a sore thumb in my typing class.

Me, too. I was one of only a couple of guys in my typing class. I took only one semester, but should have should the second, too, which got more into shorthand. I took photography instead and continued throughout high school. I could have added it as an additional class, but had an afternoon newspaper route delivering the Detroit News, so couldn't do everything.

 

[Brompton]

Late 70's, I took shop class. I don't recall that there was any choice, but I suppose there may have been.

 

[Brian C.]

I would not be surprised if the new equivalent of this is robotics / raspberry pi / arduino electronics at the school level . How cool is it to make drones / battle robots etc? This is a super fun time to be a kid ( or to be an adult who pretends he is a kid ) ( well ignoring the black mirror episode we are all living in ;( )

regards
avi

And it could be almost any black mirror episode. Awesome series by the way.


BOSC;AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;WISE;CoA

 

[The Knize]

I have a recollection of drafting, too. Maybe that was in connection with electronics. Perhaps every boy was required to do some drafting in connection whatever industrial arts type thing they were taking. I hated it!

 

[Canadian Mountain Man]

I would not be surprised if the new equivalent of this is robotics / raspberry pi / arduino electronics at the school level . How cool is it to make drones / battle robots etc? This is a super fun time to be a kid ( or to be an adult who pretends he is a kid ) ( well ignoring the black mirror episode we are all living in ;( )

regards
avi

In part I agree that robotics or AI are more contemporary subjects to teach however there's something to be said about imparting practical skills like how to cut a board or boil an egg.

That said, much of the current tech is down right awesome possum cool and getting cooler and it is a fun time to play.

 

[FarmerTan]

Unfortunately, there were simply not enough hours. in a day. I was taking things like chemistry, physics, advanced algebra, trigonometry, calculus, German, etc. in preparation for engineering school.

They had a typing class, but it was mostly for girls who might go into secretarial jobs. Then when I got to engineering school, I found that typing was the most critical skill. That was back before word processors, so any typing mistakes often meant you had to retype the entire paper. Early computers were fed by either ticker tape or punch cards. Those instruction had to be flawless. If you made a mistake, you had to retype the entire tape or punch card. Thus, learning how to type with zero mistakes at a reasonable speed was crucial. You could not hit the backspace or delete keys like I do so frequently today.

In the dorms, you had to wash and iron your own clothes, so that was another skill I had to learn. Later when I moved into an apartment with some friends, we had to do our own grocery shopping and cooking, while remaining within budget; more life skills to be learned. Once I purchased my first house, I had to learn how to do all the maintenance things needed: electrical and plumbing, basic carpentry, painting, pest extermination, etc. I even built a garage with the help of some neighbors. And then there were the car mechanics such as changing oil, engine tune ups, etc. I even rebuilt the engine in my VW Beetle.

Now that I am approaching my 7th decade, I have most of the skills I need. However, I no longer have the strength, stamina, balance or agility to accomplish what needs to be done. Now I have to pay folks to do for me what I used to do myself.

When you still have youth on your side, take advantage of every opportunity to learn every skill you can. As Ben Franklin said, if you empty your purse into your head, no one can ever steel that from you. However, one day, old age will do what no man can do.

Ditto, and amen.

 

[Toothpick]

Neither. Never went to high school.