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Family & Consumer Sciences
So I am in school to become an FCS (home-ec) Teacher (graduating next fall, TY JESUS!), and our program will be eliminated from the college due to budget cuts 
We were asking our teacher if other states are facing the same thing. So just out of curiosity, and for me to report back to my classmates, how many of you out there are FCS teachers, or are in school to become one? I would love to know which state you live in as well. Also, if not a teacher or student, do you know if there are still FCS programs in high schools near you. TIA!
[Poll]
We were asking our teacher if other states are facing the same thing. So just out of curiosity, and for me to report back to my classmates, how many of you out there are FCS teachers, or are in school to become one? I would love to know which state you live in as well. Also, if not a teacher or student, do you know if there are still FCS programs in high schools near you. TIA![Poll]
Re: Family & Consumer Sciences
I'm not a FCS teacher, but I am an elective teacher (business/technology). The FCS program was completely eliminated from our district 2 years ago. Several of my friends were let go. Many districts are eliminating the positions in lieu of more academic subjects/classes and due to budget cuts. It's very expensive to run a cooking or sewing program because of the consumables that have to constantly be replaced.
I've honestly never heard of anyone going to school to specifically become a FCS teacher. The FCS teachers I know were all older and sort of fell into their positions before the craze of licensing/subject testing was out there. I do know that many of them were licensed in Health as well so that they could teach nutrition classes.I am a FACS teacher in Kansas where FACS is still going strong! In fact, there are many schools with positions sitting open because they couldn't find a teacher to fill it. When I graduated college six years ago, I could have had a job at any high school with an opening (I know that sounds arrogant, but it was the honest truth). I really love it. With Obama's career readiness programs, FACS fits right into it.
You know about us being funded through Perkins funding (uncertain future to that) and that helps a lot with our programs. I teach ProStart at my school and LOVE it. We have four teachers in our school and have the early childhood, culinary arts, fashion design, and interior design areas represented.
I love my job! We always have full enrollment in our department because kids love to take the classes. We are trying to get into FCCLA more now, also. We are in the process of rewriting our curriculum and classes to align with the career clusters and pathways, which has been an interesting process, but gives us hope for our future because we are definitely staying relevant.
Let me know what else you want to know!
There is a certain content area to take to be certified for FACS rather than just whoever happens to fall into the position. I am licensed to teach nutrition, culinary arts, interior design, fashion merchandising, child development, and food science. I have focused in on culinary arts and my district has been sending me to culinary school every summer, which has been awesome. It's changed a LOT in the past twenty years or so.
Exactly, things have changed a lot. Since the programs around here are dying, there are no teachers going into this subject as brand new teachers. Everyone that I knew teaching FCS got licenses in other areas so that they could teach other subjects when their programs were eliminated.
The only part of FCS that's left in our district is child care and that's only because the school makes money from running the daycare center. If it was only a break-even or a losing business, it would be gone without a doubt. The school could use those dedicated classrooms for other things. It was proposed to be eliminated for this school year and was saved at the last moment.
It makes me sad to hear that it's going away in other places. I mean I knew that and read about it, but I hate that. There are some very valuable life and career skills to be learned. We don't even have sewing or the "old home ec" anymore...it's a whole new program.
I'm working on my masters right now and if my program got cut, I'd have backup in the restaurant world, but would rather stay in teaching FACS. I do remember at our education career fair in college, I talked to a district from Washington and they didn't even know what I was talking about when I said I was getting my FACS degree.
In our building, it's our business classes that are on the decline. We have too many teachers in the business department (9) and not enough kids who want to fill the classes. Our district just implemented a financial literacy required credit that is supposed to be taught in our department, but the business department had to pick it up because we don't have any availability to teach it and they are trying to save their staff.
Another thing that makes a difference in our area is that there are a few FACS classes that are offered as science or fine arts credit plus students are required to have a CTE credit to graduate.
To the OP, it's obviously just a matter of where you are! Come to KS
I meant to say you are totally right on the cycle thing--when the programs are dying, there aren't any brand new teachers, so the program just dies. That's happened to a few departments in our state. There are just standing job openings at most of those places right now (sometimes for more than a school year).
Not a FCS teacher (but took some FCS Educ. classes in college as part of my major at Iowa State- long story). There are still FCS classes here in Illinois. I know that in Iowa they still exist... do know it's required for middle school students. There is still demand for the FCS Educ. major at Iowa State University.
I agree with Flamingo... depends on the district if FCS is going strong (some have bigger/better programs, even in my local area)... and if the teachers are young and/or super gung-ho!
We have 2 FCS teachers in my district and sadly when they retire (in about 10 to 15 years) I imagine the program will be cut... unless there is someone in house who is younger and wants to take over. The classes are popular but with electives getting cut left and right, those are probably the next ones to go.
ETA: Also, I teach is Mass. in a traditional HS but we do have Vocational HS where I imagine the program is still going strong.
We don't have home ec/FCS in districts around here either. I was suprised that PP said it's going in IL - not where we live. Maybe in urban/suburban areas it doesn't exist but it seems to continue in more rural areas?
I work in one of the biggest school districts in the midwest and we are going strong. For us it's because we are doing the career cluster pathways and culinary is one of ours. I think that unless it's embedded into the new strands that we are getting in the next couple years or in a really small program that's around just because it's always been, it's hard to hang on to a FACS department. Fortunately, other districts in our area are hopping on board with similar programs to ours and will keep our programs alive and well around here.
i teach at a suburban/rural high school on the east coast, and if we were less rural, i think our FCS program would be gone by now. our last two FCS teachers retired after long careers, and the program was left empty for a while until a new teacher came in to teach a few classes.
i would imagine the midwest is the best place to be if this is your specialty. where are you going to school? location is probably key in finding a thriving district program. i can't imagine that most of the east or west coasts have much of a demand for FCS programs in times like this.