Where do we find real practical life if not among the various every-day activities of a household? This field of action encompasses all areas of human communal living. It is the seat of the “original craft”, which makes life-long demands upon the members of both sexes. This being the case, it should be part of every student’s education to be taught this craft, and to gain hands-on experience of some of its practicalities.
Today social life is in the throes of rapid change. Bringing up children and tending to their nutritional needs can often not be managed in the parental home as was traditionally usual. Modern eating habits also bring about losses in food quality and practical knowledge. Advice is constantly changing – for instance, as to what is best for babies and infants – and this leads to uncertainty and confusion. Modern family constellations, often with both parents working, mean there is little time for household tasks. In an increasingly intellectual and virtual society there is a paucity of the experience of real home-life. This state of things means that the rising generation often have had no guidance or example given to them on how to manage their lives.
In keeping with the aim that “all teaching must provide insights into practical life” (Steiner GA 192, 11.5.1919 (German edition 1991, p. 98)), all socially relevant topics with a direct bearing upon the lives of the students can be addressed in a practical way for all age-groups within the framework of home economics. As Wolfgang Schad puts it: “Active experience first – then cognitive exploration; encounter with reality first – then detached reflection, otherwise the latter will be void of content.” (Schad 1991: p. 8)
For primary school children to experience the “original craft” they can be involved in activities in the school’s training kitchen. Following on from the farming main lesson, the circle of cultivation is completed when the grain they planted comes into this room for processing. This is also a cultivation of respect and reverence for the earth and for the value of communal effort. The girls and boys would be so fired up by the experiences in the school kitchen, they will want to bake and cook again at home.
The nutrition main lesson is a good opportunity for introductory cooking lessons by way of preparation. Out of direct practical involvement, an understanding for the factual basis of sound nutrition arises in a way that is free of any trace of egoism. Learning how best to work with foodstuffs can be based upon the phenomenological observation of the characteristic properties of nutrients (chemistry). Ideally, for this purpose products from the garden that the students have planted themselves are used. They also need to get used to carrying out the tasks they have been given according to definite time constraints. It is a question of learning the rules governing the behaviour of certain substances, which only permit creativity once they have been grasped. Cooking is a perfect context for encountering the laws of causality. Moreover, the students observe and correct one another as they are working, which is a healthy form of correction.
The students should be schooled in the basics of preparing healthy food efficiently, so that they will have the tools for managing their own lives in an independent and responsible manner. They need to be told the facts of modern food-processing technologies, so as to be able to recognise real quality and not be fooled by persuasive advertising. – Equally important here is knowledge of fabrics and how best to launder them.
The students should also be addressed in their capacity as future parents. This means presenting them with a well-drawn account of the essential aspects of what makes for sound, healthy child-rearing in keeping with the nature of human development. Nutrition, clothing, household medicine, home surroundings (colours, toys) and how to deal with media are all topics to cover. This also includes mention of self-education and the sacrificial nature of parental responsibility. If the topic of starting a family and a household can be broached, it is also worthwhile to take a cool look at the financial side of things.
This subject offers room to accommodate the individual needs of the students of all age-groups. It is particularly suited to inclusivity. Mutual help and acceptance are the order of the day, and all can have an experience of success and recognition.
Schad, W. (1991): Vorwort in: Der künstlerisch-handwerkliche Unterricht in der Waldorfschule. Stuttgart