Eighth grade teachers often ask students various questions throughout the school year as a way to check in and connect on a personal level. When asked what class they’d like taught at PCS, the resounding answer from students was cooking. Food, Fiber and Fabric, along with Adulting, and Mindfulness, are new electives being taught to all eighth graders. From learning how to bake and sew to balancing a checkbook and coping with stress, these new courses will teach students life skills they can carry into adulthood.
There was apprehension on the faces of students in Linsey Consler and Sarah Lenhard’s Food, Fiber and Fabric class on September 16. As students carefully filled measuring cups with flour, and others with water, they were reminded by their teachers that they needed to learn the basics of cooking before actually stepping into the kitchen. For this lesson, students had to determine if dry and wet ingredients weigh the same.
“As eighth-grade teachers, we not only play an important role in preparing our students for high school, but also for life afterward,” said Consler. “Eighth grade is a pivotal time where brain development skyrockets, and we begin to guide students in learning and practicing skills that they will use for life.”
Students are taking Food, Fiber and Fabric for 20 weeks. Consler, the eighth-grade science teacher, and Lenhard, a jr. high consultant teacher, are focusing on teaching food preparation, making balanced meals, meal budgeting, and general kitchen skills. During the last several weeks of the course, students will learn basic sewing skills like hand stitching, sewing a button, and learning how to operate a sewing machine. For the culminating project, students will make an apron to use at home.
“We hope students learn skills that are transferrable to their home lives, and maybe even into a job or career in the future,” said Consler. “Most of our students voiced how excited they are to learn how to cook, and especially partake in their creations. Our hope is that we can guide the next generation into being independent and self-sufficient in the kitchen, and beyond.”
Jess Hurd, eighth-grade English teacher, is teaching a 10-week Mindfulness course that helps students learn wellness techniques to manage stressors of the modern world. Students are focusing on emotional awareness, as well as how to improve their mental and physical health. Eighth-grade math teacher Courtney Bell is teaching the 10-week Adulting course that focuses on financial literacy. Students are learning how to balance a checkbook, establish a household budget, write a resume, and go on a job interview.
“I want our students to understand how to navigate life and be prepared before they go to high school,” said Laura Kettle, jr. high counselor. “We need to start teaching them the everyday skills they need but at a younger age.”