NOW YOU'RE COOKING: STUDENTS TAKE A BREAK FROM READING AND WRITING TO ACQUIRE "LIFESKILLS."

The days of the "Ward and June Cleaver" family are over.

With households where both parents work (if there are two parents), when kids have practices of every kind after school and the weekends are consumed with commitments which were not met during the week, traditional family activities are often sacrificed.

"The structure of the family has changed so much," said Eleanor McBride, a home economics teacher at Cape Central High School. "A lot of my students may eat one meal a week with the family in a dining room setting, if that.

"Traditional skills that were passed from mother to daughter are being lost," she said.

That is part of the reason home economics -- now labeled lifeskills or human environmental studies -- are making a comeback to area schools.

The Cape Girardeau school system has a structured program starting at the L.J. Schultz middle school, spanning through a students' senior year in high school.

As outlined by a school manual, the major purpose of home economics are: "To provide a comprehensive educational program to help all students, regardless of race, color, creed or physical or intellectual condition, achieve their potential as human beings who have inherent worth and dignity; to prepare for the occupations utilizing home economics concepts and skills; and to encourage participation of both males and females to prepare for combining the roles of homemakers and wage earners."

McBride said her classes consist of a cross-section of students.

"Everyone has to live," said McBride. "In the classes students take in this department, they acquire some of the skills they will need most in life."

Last week, students in McBride's classes learned to make pancakes and home-made maple syrup.

One student complained that the maple syrup appeared runny.

"That looks nasty," he said.

McBride answered, "That's just because you are used to something else."

The biggest challenge which presented itself during the pancake cooking process was the flipping of the cakes on the hot griddle. Pancakes were folded, spewed and splattered around the inside of the pan, making the finished product look a little less than perfect. The taste, however, could please.

After the dishes were washed and the supplies were put away, the student who complained about maple syrup approached McBride.

"That wasn't too bad," he said. "In fact, it was pretty good."

Students in the high school learn not only how to cook simple entrees, but also how to cook within a budget.

"The students all make out market orders before we cook a meal," said McBride. "We also discuss the merits of generic brands versus the name brands, how to look for bargains and how to prepare a healthy meal within the constraints of a budget."

Some of the things the students learn to prepare include chili, pizza, biscuits and gravy, soups and some desserts.

"We have a lot of convenience foods on the market now, which may seem like a good idea, but in reality are more expensive and usually higher in fat and calories than food you prepare yourself," said McBride. "All these things have to be taken into consideration when it comes to shopping, planning meals and eating.

"One of the most expensive things you can do is to eat out all the time," she continued. "That is why we're teaching the kids how to make good things to eat at home, which don't cost a lot."

One of the greatest challenges to present itself to McBride's classes is the time allowance per class. From bell to bell the students have 50 minutes to mix, cook, eat and clean up after their meals.

"It's sometimes difficult to fit everything into a class period," said McBride. "But in a way, the time constraint is a good thing. Today, many meals have to be prepared quickly and eaten on the run."

McBride even teaches dish washing techniques.

"I tell them that if the water is too dirty for them to consider bathing in, then it's too dirty to wash dishes in," she said. "That usually does the trick."

Cape Girardeau students can get their first taste of home economics at the L.J. Schultz Middle School in Patricia Renard's classroom.

Students taking Renard's Lifeskills course get a taste of everything from how to mix and match clothes on a budget to how to make peanut butter cookies.

"We give them a little bit of everything in this class," said Renard. "If the students are interested in this kind of thing, perhaps they will take the courses offered at the junior high and high school levels."

Perhaps one of the reasons Renard's classes are so well received at Schultz is because there are no tests and simple take-home exercises for homework. But that does not mean the students don't do any work in the class.

"We do more activities than almost any other class in the school," said Renard. "We definitely keep busy."

Last week, Renard was going over safety in the kitchen with her classes.

Students were taught how to properly use hot pads when removing pans from the oven, how to use a fire extinguisher, how to clean up glass, how to handle a knife and even what items used daily in the kitchen can be recycled.

"Some of these things I learned myself from the textbook," said Renard. "I had been doing some things a different way for years, but after reading the textbook I thought, `That really makes sense.'"