Labor

 Both of my middle-schoolers have Home Econ this term. Except it's called Consumer Science. Apparently, the teacher said something along the lines that her class was a dictatorship and she was the dictator. The kids acted out a skit yesterday, making fun of what the class was like. H was the teacher and yelled "DETENTION" every 2 seconds. E and C were the delinquent students who pulled down their masks, put their feet on the table, and were rolling their eyes. They got about 16 detentions each.

Apparently, the kids will get a detention if they are late for class (hmm... even the first time?), if their mask is down (OK, makes sense), if they make a mess, if they bleed all over the floor (I assume my kids exaggerate but I could be wrong), if they are disrespectful, and for about another 100 infringements. My son is kind of worried - he already warned me that if he doesn't come home on a regular bus it means he got detention with Ms Home Econ. H does not seem worried at all - if anything, she appears to be amused. I have a feeling she may start a revolution, overthrow the current dictator (Ms Home Econ) and crown herself as the Empress. 

In my daughter's class, they'll be sewing a pillow. In my son's class, they'll be baking muffins. The kids are not thrilled. H at least appears to be curious about learning to use a sewing machine. E says he already knows how to bake muffins.

Oh boy, this brings back some old memories... Home Econ equivalent back in the USSR (we called it "Trud", or "Labor") was one of my least favorite classes, along with PE. My hands grow out out of the wrong place - my teacher's words  (I believe the American expression would be "all thumbs"). In 6th grade, I had an absolute nightmare of an experience sewing a skirt. Lots of tears and snot. I spent hours and hours at my teacher's house, where she was helping me stitch things on her sewing machine.

And then, at a different school, there was an incident with pickled cucumbers. My jar exploded... 

I knew pretty early on that I absolutely did not want to be a housewife. Because everything around household tasks seemed absolutely out of my league difficult. Chemistry, math, physics - I could do. Sewing, knitting, pickling, and making soup - not so much.

As an adult, there are some things I have to do whether or not I enjoy them. Interestingly, I came to really like cooking. Especially soups. If absolutely needed, I can stitch things up and re-attach a button (although I procrastinate forever and try to avoid it if at all possible) - I do a messy job and I am pretty sure my old teacher would shake her head sadly at my uneven untidy stitches and would give me a "C-" (or worse). But... the button works and the hole is gone and no one in  my house complains about the poor workmanship. I never attempt to sew any clothing for myself or for my kids... no home-made Halloween costumes here (because hands growing out of my *ss, as they would say in Russia).

What was your experience with Home Econ like?