Alaukikaraje Gaikwad Khachar
A home science teacher recalls the moment when she first taught home science. There seemed to have been several surprises because teachers in the school that she taught collaborated and each took up different disciplines. This fostered a sense of team spirit and every teacher enjoyed teaching. Read on to know more.

Poonam Jain has worked as a home science teacher at Banasthali University and Government College of Chandigarh. She has also worked as a primary teacher and is currently teaching in Venkateshwar School, Dwarka. “As a teacher, I feel good teaching the subject. But if we look at it from the students’ point of view, a bit of simplification is required in some topics especially fashion merchandising. The problem is that there are weak students also since home science is an optional subject. It may be an option with math, so all those who are not academically good, take up home science. For these students it is difficult to make them understand the concepts and the language. So we make short notes for them so that they can at least pass. I’m really worried about one or two students who are dyslexic and who are not able to cope.” Monica Joshi is a home science teacher at Dewan Public School, Meerut “In my view, some parts of the new curriculum is fine, and some parts of the old curriculum is good. Lengthy lessons are not required. The lessons should be interactive, activity based, innovative and student friendly. For ex: there is an entire chapter on preservation – preservation, food safety and food quality, so children don’t want to listen to you. They are interested in what kind of activity you have added in this particular chapter. They want to do that. My idea is that there should be short lessons. Because it’s an optional subject, more creativity should be there. There should be questions to make it interactive and allow student feedback about the content and their learning.” Mala is a teacher in DAV school, Jaipur. She has been teaching since 1995. She teaches students from nursery to class 12. She has also worked as a jewellery designing instructor. “We usually take our students on a field trip once a year. A few years ago we went to this place where Bagru printing is done, so students got a first-hand experience of how the printing is done. We also ordered our uniforms from there that year. We also went to a food fair last year. This fair was organized by the government. The students saw how tests were being done for food adulteration. We also visited a weaving and screen printing factory. “Everyone should learn home science because, with the knowledge that students gain they will be equipped to deal with problems in a scientific way.

Gulrukh Singh
A dearth of qualified and trained teachers especially in smaller cities is a major drawback that schools face. A home science teacher needs to reach out to the hearts of students as the subject is all about human ecology and family sciences. Here a few tips on how the status of the subject can be improved.