Jun 18, 2021
“Students can go anywhere in the world, if they are an FCS teacher, and get a job”
Dr. Jacqueline Holland
(23:13 - 23:21)
Dr. Jacqueline Holland, Associate Professor and Director of the Department of Family Consumer Sciences at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, and Dr. Susan Turgeson, Associate Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences at The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point are both working hard on mentoring students to bring to light the vast amount of opportunities in the FCS field.
When you think of family and consumer sciences you probably time travel to home economics classes in middle and high school. These classes originally taught life trades to young adults such as culinary skills, nutrition, and personal finance. FCS in recent years has developed into much more than that, especially with the addition of the student organization Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). Through FCCLA, students can further make a difference in their societies, not just as a concept, but as a potential career opportunity.
Dr. Jacqueline Holland and Dr. Susan Turgeson have both been through a myriad of careers that have led them to the field of Family and Consumer Sciences.
After 10 years of different careers, Dr. Turgeson decided it was time to go back to school for teaching. Her early Family and Consumer Sciences teacher covered different subjects she related to and, essentially, promised a job, something few fields can do.
“We typically say that within the state there’s at least three jobs for every graduate. Nationwide, it’s more like 10. The job market is so strong and it will continue to be that way.” Dr. Turgeson (12:00 - 12:14)
As the former President of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences herself, Dr. Holland started as a high school home economics teacher and then moved on to a mentoring role after seeing teachers leaving early due to lack of support.
With a decrease in students enrolling in secondary FCS programs, a recent USDA grant focuses on recruiting, preparing, and supporting family and consumer sciences educators.
While it’s important to recruit students as early as high school it’s also vital to prepare them, as teaching FCS is ever-evolving and will change throughout the years.
As Dr. Holland witnessed during her time as a high school educator, teachers are getting burnt out with the lack of support. Current educators are encouraging students to engage in organizations like FCCLA to keep them interested in the field, along with assuring them a career path moving forward.
“Back in 1996 when I went back to school for Family and Consumer Sciences I was promised a job at the end. I can still make that same promise to my students today.” Dr. Turgeson (11:48 - 11:58)
Dr. Susan Turgeson and Dr. Jacqueline Holland both aim to show students how using an FCS education can improve our quality of life, as our world changes year to year.
Service learning in the field of FCS is extremely important to our society. Students that #SayYestoFCS can apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to their career and community to further make a difference.
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