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The Importance of FCS

Julia Gleason

Brigham Young University - Idaho

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The Importance of FCS

Family and Consumer Education is where we teach preventive skills to people to help them

live a more comfortable life. There are many ways that we can be Family and Consumer

Sciences Educators. Some examples are Elementary Education, Middle School, High School,

and Secondary Educators. In elementary school, you could teach students how to fold laundry,

put together simple meals, clean their rooms, etc. In middle and high school, you could teach

sewing, money management, child development, culinary, etc. You could also lead 4H

competitions. In secondary education, you can teach money management, food preparation,

textiles, child development, apparel construction, interior design, nutrition, etc. You could also

become an extension agent and teach all of those classes for the government and teach to the

public. TO teach effectively, you have to have certain personality characters. You should be

nurturing, patient, creative, accountable, responsible, understanding, reliable, organized, etc.

(AAFCS). You need to value individuality, good work ethic, integrity, and punctuality. You

should see everyone as individuals (Smith 2007).

Fcs has a very rich history. So many people have contributed to its success. In 1841,

Catherine Beecher, a big advocate for women’s rights, writes “Treatise on Domestic Economy”.

She went on to write books on women’s rights and worked to get females in secondary

education. In 1873, Ellen Swallows Richards graduates as the first women from MIT, with a

Bachelor of Science degree. In 1862 and 1890 the First and Second Morrill Acts are passed,

providing land grant universities. In 1882, Richards writes, “The Chemistry for Cooking and

Cleaning: A Manual for Housekeepers.” In 1899, the first Lake Placid meeting is hep, involving

Richards. In 1909 the first Girl’s Tomato Club is formed, where girls learn Family and

Consumer Sciences. In 1917, The Smith-Hughes Act is passed, and vocational teaching receives
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grants from the government (FCS History timeline). Finally, in 1999, the name of Home

Economics is changed to Family and Consumer Sciences.

In FCS101, we made our own online portfolios to showcase our work. We created the

websites on Weebly, and worked on the, throughout the semester. We made a place for

professional opportunities, student work, and FCS resources. When future employers wonder

what the quality of our work is, or if we fulfill all of the requirement s for the job, we will be able

to easily show them this Weebly and they can see. This will set us apart from the other

applicants. Under the professional opportunities part, I placed my graduation plan as well as my

four-year plan. This will keep me on track, and future employers will see that I am organized and

have a plan. Under the student work section, I will place all of my best work from each class, so

that it will be easily visible for all. That way employers are able to know that I am capable of

teaching students the standards, because I fulfilled them. Under the resources section I placed all

of the standards for BYUI and Idaho. I also placed the national FCS standards for schools. I also

have a list of the 16 National FCS Categories. Under those sections I put a total of 108 resources

that can be used to help me teach those categories. People can go there to find resources for each

category, like parenting, FCS careers, or hospitality. Employers will know that I am dedicated to

my career, as well as knowledgeable in it. As I continue in the program, I will update the student

work and continue to place my best, up-to-date work in it. As I find good resources, I will place

them in the appropriate files so that others and I can reference them later.

FCS is very important to me because it teaches important life skills that not everyone

automatically knows. It improved the quality of so many people’s lives and helps provide the

basics of what people need. Without FCS, families struggle to keep a clean, healthy, and efficient

lifestyle, creating relationship and other problems. Specifically, management is important

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because it shows us how to be good stewards of our environment. Food preparation and nutrition

is important because we need to stay healthy physically to be healthy in all other areas of our

lives. Physical health effects our emotional, mental, social, and spiritual health. Our physical

situation effects many facets of our lives, which is why Family and Consumer Sciences are so

important. We learn how to keep a nice-looking living environment in interior design, and how

to design and make nice clothes at less cost in apparel construction. We learn leadership skills in

many classes and activities that will help us be better citizens and parents. We also learn about

early child development so that we can teach others and be the best parents we can be. In short,

FCS betters us in almost, if not every facet of our lives. I want to be an FCS educator, so I also

learn teaching skills that will help me with my students to help them understand information, but

I will also help me as teach as a parent and citizen. I want to teach others how to improve their

lives and be able to take care of themselves as self-sufficient citizens. I want to bring a loving

and fun atmosphere to the classroom to help people realize what FCS is, and the Family and

Consumer Sciences is fun, and extremely useful. I will focus on the preventative. I would like to

teach young people how to help around the house and support themselves when they leave the

house. This way, when they are adults, they will run a household efficiently and effectively.

Another role that I have in FCS is to promote it. I can teach others what it is, and help clear up

misunderstandings and stereotypes about it, like the fact that it is not a MRS degree major.

Family and Consumer Sciences are very important, and it has a rich history. As we learn

more about improving our circumstances the more proactive and happy we become.
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References
FCS History timeline. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/fcs-history
Smith, V. J. (2007). The Richest Man in Town. Naperville, IL: Simple Truths.
The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18,
2018, from https://www.aafcs.org/home