The Role of Home Economics Education at Post Pandemic

Introduction
We have gone a long way since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic. All of us were
affected in different degrees and we confronted the problem in different ways. Although they
may not have been the best ways, we keep our hopes that the experiences we all went through
will teach us one or two lessons in life…foremost is Faith in God!
As home economics educators, we should take on a more active role in rebuilding
families and communities after the COVID 19 Pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the country, as of October 20, 2022,
has reached almost 4 million reported cases, resulting in almost 64
thousand reported deaths, the fifth-highest in Southeast Asia, behind
Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Though the cases have
reduced in number, the threat is still here and the virus is ready to grab
anyone when least expected.

Many families experienced the wrath of Covid 19, in addition to other health problems
and family concerns: unemployment, businesses closing down, lock downs, and many more.
Definitely, as home economics educators, we have to do something to arrest some of these
problems, if not all.
This topic is most relevant because Covid 19 will not be the last.
Bill Gates claim that another pandemic is bound to happen. Meaning,
there will always be pandemic like this and there will always be a need
to adjust, change lifestyle, collaborate with authorities, and contribute to
the solution of the problem. We have learned from our own experiences
that there is always hope to surpass similar problems if we learn from the
mistakes of the past.

Home Economics Education must continue its commitment to empower

families and improve their well-being in changing environments for
effective participation in local and global communities. Today, is the
best time to examine our role as home economics educators so that we
become true to our commitment of preparing students, families, and
communities, not just for the New Normal but for a “Better Normal.”

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Strengths of Home Economics Education
In this article, I have identified four strengths of Home Economics Education from the
point of view of my references and my own experiences as home economics educator.
Home Economics Education is well-rounded. The fundamental skills
developed among our graduates qualify them to teach all areas of home
economics. Meaning, they are prepared to teach any of the fundamental
skills: Food and Nutrition, Sewing and Crafts, Home Management, Art
and Interior Design.

I taught in a private high school for 36 years. My home economics education enabled me to
handle any subject in the Practical Arts/Home Economics and Technology Area. I used to
substitute for absent area teachers and I did actual teaching, instead of just supervising activities
prepared by absent teachers. My skills in teaching and training qualified me to be a Secondary
Education Development Program (or SEDP} trainer from first year to fourth year where we
trained Home Economics and Technology private school teachers all over the country.

Home Economics Education is future-oriented. It teaches the things the

students need to become responsible adults even before they need them.
The things that make them useful individuals in the family, in the
community, and in the society.
I remember one occasion during my high school teaching years. One of my students told
me that she does not need to learn sewing and crafts. She can just hire someone to do those
things for her. I just smiled and instructed her to start working on the activity.
Many years after, I met her again. She approached and hugged me and said, Miss, thank
you for teaching me sewing and crafts. I am now married and with a kid and I realized how
important those practical things you taught us in high school. Now, I make things for my baby
and do repairs for myself and my husband. That admission validated my claim that Home
Economics Education is future-oriented.
Home Economics Education is practical and timeless. It provides
students holistic knowledge and skills in all aspects of home and family
life. Things they need to survive. Knowledge and skills that have
immediate and practical application like cooking, sewing, budgeting,
taking care of children, managing household resources, and more.
There is not a day that we do not eat, unless we really intend to starve ourselves. We need
to plan a menu, choose recipes, buy fresh yet affordable ingredients, prepare and cook food while
observing principles, and applying our artistic or creative prowess to present them in the most
delectable manner.
We cannot go out of our homes without wearing clothes. We need to choose an attire that
is best for an occasion. We must budget our money or we go hungry the next day. We must

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allocate resources for the needs of all family members, young and old. We need to clean,
sanitize, and decorate our homes and make them livable. A home that we can go home to after a
back breaking day or at this present time, a place we can rest after a back breaking work-from-
home.
Home Economics Education is multi-dimensional. It deals with all
aspects of family life, utilizing knowledge from various disciplines
such as the Social Sciences, Humanities, Physics, Biology, and Arts,
and putting them together to teach people how to determine the basic
needs of individuals and families like food, clothing, and shelter; how
to identify ways of satisfying these needs; how to improve the goods
and services used by families; and how to become responsible
members of the family and community, through effective home making, gainful employment,
and productive endeavors.
These strengths are what families and communities need to survive at this time of
uncertainties. Each family member can pitch in to help the family cope with adversities. The
COVID 19 resulted to unemployment, and it is bound to happen even after claims of reduced
Covid-19 cases. But the skills possessed by our Home Economics Education graduates shared
with the family and the community, could be easily converted to gainful activities because they
have what it takes to do it…their knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship.
The Big Question?
How can home economics educators apply these strengths to help families improve or
sustain their wellbeing during the new normal?
As home economics educators, we should not be confined in
the transfer of learning through the classroom. We should expand our
mission by strengthening competencies thru trainings, seminars, and
workshops. We have to create a ripple effect in inspiring change in the
lives of others. The more people we get in touch with, the more people
will be touched in return.
We should commit ourselves to engaging in research because
it is thru research that we find new ways of solving problems and
enriching knowledge, skills, and values. We should not be a one-
stand department. Let us involve the various specialized areas in our
quest for relevant knowledge, skills, and values.

We should continue working hand in hand with home economics

organizations. They have the power to bring together home economists all
over the country and abroad. They can multiply the transfer of knowledge,

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skills, and values in multitude. If we can do all these, it will be easier to combat the effects of
Covid 19 or any pandemic in our lives.

Getting Forward to the New Normal

Back to Normal
Many people, including myself, were waiting for things to get
“back to normal”. I used to say, I hope things will get better soon so
we can go back to normal. But is there such a thing as going back to
normal? Is it not that life moves forward and not backward? There
are also people who talk about “new normal” but the question is,
could anything new be possibly normal?
New Normal
Many people will be working from home even when the
pandemic becomes endemic. It is more efficient and beneficial to
the environment. In fact, COVID 19 has broken the old belief that
people cannot work productively without being supervised. As we
move forward and adapt to the rapid changes that affected our
lives, we have to innovate ways to serve, feed, train, educate
people and family members. One thinking that we can get stuck
in is about how the future will magically turn back into the past.
You need a time machine to do that. If you do not have one, let us all march forward to the “New
Normal”.
Better Normal
The “new normal” gave images of people wearing face masks,
dining behind plastic shields, attending classes and ordering
necessities online. While the COVID 19 pandemic has forced us into
a shaky array of new behaviors, they are far from normal. Just like
other crises, the COVID 19 opened collective consciousness to
change and to the possibilities of a “Better Normal.”

Today is the best time to create a “Better Normal” during the COVID-19 crisis and
beyond. A “Better Normal” posits that we succeed only when our most vulnerable communities
survive and thrive. A “Better Normal” that gives hope and joy to everyone, young and old, rich
and poor.

What can Home Economists do to Improve the Wellbeing of Families during the New
Normal or “Better Normal”?

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 So, what can we as home economics educators do to help bring individuals, families, and
communities to a “BETTER NORMAL”? As home economists, we should be able to go beyond
content because we address the actual concerns of people in families and communities. We
should be ready to touch the core, as thinking and feeling human beings. Let us therefore…

Promote sense of safety

Feeling unsafe brings overwhelming problems. The number of Covid 19 variants, in

addition to other health concerns, can make anyone more threatened. As home economists, we
can promote sense of safety by acquiring up-to-date information that we can pass on to students,
families, and communities. Let us help in ensuring health and safety protocols.

Reassure families

The COVID-19 pandemic is stressful to family members. Home visits may not be
possible but if it could be done, talk with parents to avoid activities that could trigger fear.
Explain to them that there will be times when members may not be at their best, and that it is
important to try to be patient, tolerant, and kind with each other. Introduce fun and creative
activities to learners that they can introduce to their respective families.

Encourage family members to bond together and stay connected

Make families realize that even if they are physically apart from loved ones, they can still
stay connected. Let us demonstrate to them the many ways to connect: phones, text messages,
Facebook, Messenger, or better still, simply writing notes. Suggest activities which they can do
together as a family like backyard gardening, online business, and other productive activities.
These activities were successful in reducing panic among families since the start of the
pandemic.
Strengthen personal and family competence

Include in our lessons how to develop skills and ways to build students’ competence;
skills that can help them get through their current challenges like involving them in a problem-
solving approach to challenges, discussing problems, breaking them down into smaller chunks,
brainstorming creative solutions together, and negotiating the solutions that will work best for
the family. Let us remind families the importance to hear ideas from each member.

Let us serve as role-models of competence. Remember, “we have to walk the talk.” As
we strive to do our best, let us remember to keep our expectations realistic.

Let us document learned lessons. Teachers and students can create projects, like
scrapbooks, videos, or art works together and highlight on what is happening and what they have

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learned from it. Document the positive things that others did to survive and also let others
survive like the Pandemic or Kitchen Pantry, Feeding Programs, and more. Whatever we choose
to do, competence can be fostered by organizing our actions, discussions, and activities.

Nurture optimism

  Many families felt discouraged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially
those who suffered significantly. Let us nurture hope by sharing ways our own families cope
with the situation, or ways that we are grateful because we survived. Give assurance that experts
around the world are working to help everyone.
Let me end by saying that the mind is related to rational or logical thinking. It is in
conscious form and it has the capability to make decisions without anything fogging its
judgment. On the other hand, the heart is related to emotions like happiness or excitement. Its
nature is physical. It goes with sentimental values.

https://www.bing.com/search?
q=Heart+and+mind+clip+art&cvid=434d29e210e54d458ec64bc46517e8a0&aqs=edge..69i57j0j69i61l2j69i60.11246j0j1&pglt=41&F
ORM=ANNTA1&PC=U531

As home economics educators, we must strike a balance between the mind and the heart
in everything we do.
Together, let us march forward to a “Better Normal.”

References:
https://www.academia.edu/35908665/
Home_Economics_Education_Addressing_Concerns_of_the_Filipino_Family
https://globalacademicgroup.com/journals/qualitative%20education/.pdf
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/
can_we_build_a_better_normal_after_the_pandemic

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https://www.cdc.gov/training/development/evaluate/training-effectiveness.html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323143130_
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/covid/covid_family_strategies.asp
https://www.ifhe.org.uk/
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=bill+gates+and+pandemic&docid=607988110588855191&mid=709854955A49AA77445E7
09854955A49AA77445E&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
https://researchwap.com/post/home-economics-as-a-field-of-study-and-its-benefits
https://www.preservearticles.com/education/what-is-the-importance-of-consumer-education/
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