“I'll be honest, there are some kids, I take them to the (cooking) lab and they can't even measure... we're talking about basic skills, about basic. I think this has a lot to do with family structure, with the way the family has changed” (Wischmeyer). Home economics was a required and popular course in the 1980s and 1990s. This course taught more than how to frost a cake, it taught basic, detailed skills like sewing on a button, measuring, and disinfecting. In this class, learning how to manage a budget and prepare a meal were strong components, as was learning to use basic tools. Some saw it as a course for women, but it contained important skills that all people needed to know. As the years go by, more and more schools are abandoning home economics programs, but these need to be included in all high school curricula because it helps teach necessary basic skills, explore different job opportunities, and is a very necessary and endangered traditional course. like hemming a skirt or creating a budget are practical life skills that should be taught in home economics classes. "The basics of cooking, shopping and 'balancing the checkbook,' once seen as knowledge that every young woman... should possess, are now often not learned by young men of both sexes, even as we have come to understand its main social implications" (Graham). The basic skills listed above are not taught in schools and are not guaranteed to be taught at home. Knowing these skills can help many teens grow and succeed after high school and gain the skills to survive once they leave. “Workers have become dependent on the service sector. We can no longer hem our skirts; we pay a seamstress or tailor to do it. Instead of creating a budget ourselves, we pay a f... half of students before they leave high school and prepare to start their lives. Works Cited Colombo, Maria. “House Ec. It should be reinserted into the curriculum.” eLibrary. Np, nd Web. May 28, 2013.Graham, Ruth. "Bring EC home." Boston Globe 13 Oct. 2013: n. page eLibrary. Network. December 5, 2013.Gross-Loh, Christine. “Who says national EC isn't a central topic?” Wall Street Journal 1 October 2013: n. page eLibrary. Network. October 13, 2013.Hinkley, Justin A. Speech. eLibrary. NP, Aug. 4, 2013. Web. Oct. 30, 2013. “When we can't fry an egg or use a hammer, something is lost.” Boston Globe 20 Oct. 2013: n. page eLibrary. Network. October 13, 2013.Wischmeyer, Beth. “Balancing Budgets in Today's Domestic EC.” Sioux falls. October 21, 2013. eLibrary. Np, nd Web. October 30, 2013. Yi, Karen. “Teachers try to preserve carpentry and home CE skills.” Sun Sentinel September 27, 2013: n. page eLibrary. Network. September 27. 2013.