I posted a Facebook status earlier this year about the impact that Family and Consumer Science disciplines are having on the COVID world. It seemed to resonate with a lot of people and was shared more than anything I've ever posted. I think I know the reason why.
Family and Consumer Sciences doesn't sound fancy in the slightest. It sounds like it teaches you things you could learn through your own upbringing. It doesn't sound marketable at all and this is the most frustrating thing for those of us who have degrees in the majors under the FCS umbrella. However, these "problems" could not be further than the truth. As absolutely terrible as COVID-19 has been, I think it has done a major service for Family and Consumer Sciences in showing the value of those degrees from the standpoint of societal impact benefits, but also the steadiness of those jobs in the worst economic crisis in years.
In our department at the University of Tennessee at Martin we have seven disciplines: Child and Family Studies, Dietetics, Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Fashion Merchandising, Food and Nutrition, Gerontology, and Hospitality and Food Service Management. Here's a very brief look at the impact all of these areas have made just this year:
Child and Family Studies -- Daycares have stayed open in the pandemic and people still need resources to keep their children safe while they work. This has been an immensely important part of the pandemic response. Additionally, at-risk families are perhaps even more at risk now, so workers in this area are still carrying on the good work and managing safety on top of everything else. These workers have kept life as normal as possible for the children and families in their care and they should be applauded for that.
Dietetics -- With the amount of hospitalizations this year, the field of Dietetics has gotten to shine. Their work could be the difference between someone having the strength to fight COVID or not. They have put together nutritious meals and worked with hospital staff to administer them to very sick patients. They are doing very important work!
Family and Consumer Science Education -- Teaching never stops. Teachers are the most overlooked and underappreciated professionals, but they adapt and carry on in every circumstance. Teachers have had a lot on their plate this year (trust me!) and it hasn't been easy, but these men and women are the people who keep life most normal for children. You can see the impact teachers have when kids are eager to go back to school. I am so grateful for all teachers do.
Fashion Merchandising -- Fashion companies took time away from their normal day-to-day responsibilities to create PPE for hospitals when the federal government showed huge inadequacies in getting equipment to frontline workers. This move from the fashion industry may have saved many frontline workers' lives. Additionally, the fashion industry has rode the wave of demand to the highest peak and used their resources to produce millions of masks in record time for ordinary folks like you and I. This may have made a difference in both the amount of cases and the amount of fatalities.
Food and Nutrition -- Again, much like dietetics, these folks have been helping to keep people safe and healthy. We have also seen people using their skills in this area to create food banks and to provide meals for at-risk populations. It has been so heartwarming to see! Food security has been a major issue in this pandemic for many families, so these folks have been incredible.
Gerontology -- The scariest thing for many families living in this pandemic has been to see how vulnerable our elderly populations are. We have all heard the stories of outbreaks at elderly care homes and it is impossible not to feel heartbroken. It should be more of an incentive for us to mask up and keep distant. People working in the field of Gerontology have kept our elderly populations as safe as possible and provided them with a great deal of comfort in these scary times. Caring for people doesn't stop when the world does. In fact, people like those in Gerontology are needed even more!
Hospitality and Food Service Management -- Restaurants that offer takeout and catering businesses have been a lifeline for many people during the pandemic. Additionally, it has been lovely to see places which could not open for business find other ways to feed people during this trying time. With lines for miles for food banks, the food service industry has been a blessing for people.
So, you can see just how wonderful these disciplines are and how their time to shine unfortunately came from something we never wanted. We should be encouraging more people to take these courses and to study these topics because they have such an enormous societal benefit and the graduates are rarely out of work... even in a pandemic.
Additionally, it is so important to encourage men and boys to take these courses. With the past marketing of these disciplines as "Home Economics", it didn't lead to many men and boys seeing their role in these areas. That idea couldn't be more wrong! We need more male carers and male leaders in these areas. The impact that a male Family and Consumer Science educator could have on a young boy's life trajectory could be immense.
Also, the skills learned in these classes are life skills and should not be isolated to one gender.
Men should know how to and enjoy cooking.
Men should enjoy and be competent in caring for their families and elderly populations.
Men should feel equally confident in themselves and feel proud to show off their personal style.
FCS has very much been marketed as a female discipline but it should not be. My brother took Home Economics in high school before COVID hit and he loved it! It made me so proud to watch him enjoy cooking, as well as learning new recipes and basic life skills that he can use to thrive when he is older. FCS isn't his dream job, but he took a chance and learned a lot in the process.
Please advocate for these majors and give them a little more respect. I say this not only as a recipient of one of these degrees and now a Fashion Merchandising Lecturer, but as someone who sees the kindness and capability my students offer the world and how very often the first words they hear about their passion are negative. Lift these folks up! Appreciate them! They do so much more than they are ever given credit for. I am proud to be an FCS educator and a former FCS student!
Comentários