As Easy as Pie

I just finished making an apple pie using the recipe from "New Basics" by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins as a guideline. Making a pie from "scratch" (Carl Sagan reminds us that if we truly want to make an apple pie from scratch we must first create the universe) isn't really that difficult, although I know the thought of having to make a pie crust terrifies some people. Two hints: Chill the dough first, and then have plenty of flour on hand. I also roll the dough up around the rolling pin to transfer it to the pie dish.

Anyway, the phrase "as easy as pie" doesn't make much sense in today's context, because it is time consuming and as mentioned before, somewhat intimidating. I suppose however, this wasn't always the case. Pies (both sweet and savory) were a staple of American (and European) tables in the nineteenth century. So what happened?

Enter my first foray into modern education on this blog. We no longer teach the practical arts in our schools, and it's been this way for a while so now kids' parents can't teach them either (or they are never home, or they don't consider it a priority because of the ways we can get around not learning these skills). First, in the 1980's, was the loss of home economics. I never "learned" how to sew, and I certainly didn't "learn" how to cook. Through trial and error and a few lessons with my mom, I can replace a button and hem a pair of pants. I am indebted to my maternal grandmother for teaching me how to knit when I was about 6 years old. Now "shop" class (usually called technology education or industrial arts these days ) is also on the way out. Kids will no longer have the opportunity to design and build a birdhouse, a framed bulletin board, storage box, etc. It really wasn't the finished product that made these projects so integral to a sound education, but the process kids had to go through to create the end results. The measuring, the mistakes, the safety lessons, and the pride that that process instills when the project is finally finished and you have this beautiful, useful item. With the loss of these programs, kids sit in a classroom and are inundated with information about many different subjects, rarely learning skills that will be necessary later on in life, when they can no longer depend on their parents.

Over the last twenty years, the K-12 curriculum has become overstuffed with thousands of objectives that need to be taught (whether they are actually meaningfully learned is another subject all together). Kids are tested up to whazoo on all these different facts but their critical thinking skills, never mind the practical ones, are hardly ever evaluated. Educational administrators and policy makers have forgotten that our paradigm of learning has shifted with the information age. Any information kids need is right at their fingertips. Yet we spend 6 hours a day tossing more information at them. But what students don't have at most schools are the opportunities to create meaningful final products with their hands, to participate cooperatively in activities, to learn the business skills for life outside of high school or the practical skills such as how to fix a flat tire or change the oil in the car.

Part of the problem is that we live in a consumer culture and that culture is reinforced by the education system. There's no need to learn how to change the oil in the car because you can always take it to Jiffy Lube. No need to construct your own fine furniture...just buy it. No need to learn how to darn socks--just buy a new pair. No need to learn how to cook (and serve) a healthy family meal--you can pick up fully prepared meals at a grocery store or restaurant. I'm not suggesting that everyone should become an expert in all of these areas but students should have the opportunity to become exposed to these valuable trades, not only to help themselves in the future, but to also see what options there are in terms of professions. For many school districts, all that kids need to know is how to perform well on standardized tests including SATs so they can go to the top colleges (also a product of our consumer culture), come out with a Bachelors and no idea what they are good at or where they are going after school.

Schools often use fiscal constraints as a scapegoat for not bringing the practical arts back into the curriculum. But there would be plenty of money if we were to eliminate the focus on mandated testing (the amount of money spent on state testing is ridiculous) and there would be flexibility in the curriculum to teach these meaningful concepts as well. Policy makers, educators and parents really need to think about what testing shows us about students. That they are able to answer multiple choice questions and write essays based on documents? That they can memorize facts (without really understanding the hows and whys)? Where is the real creative thinking? Where is the real applied knowledge? Where are the practical skills that everyone needs in life? Just some points to ponder while nibbling on that apple pie.