Special education teacher Julie Haveman was asked by the administration of special education to take the lead in a class that involves instruction on making meals and snacks. In this Home Skills and Living course, Haveman includes real life tasks such as hosting and manners. She takes her third hour once a week to the cafeteria kitchen and cook’s with them. On the days not in cooking areas, they go more into depth about how to approach jobs outside of the kitchen in the classroom.
Haveman’s goal is to teach these students how to make healthy food, be safe in the kitchen and even implement strategies such as grocery shopping hacks.
“I feel that preparing healthy meals is an extremely important life skill for all students,” Haveman said.
Haveman enjoys cooking at home, so when asked to bring it into her classroom, she was quickly interested and began planning for the course.
“My goal is to teach students how to make healthy food independently,” Haveman said., “In addition to that, I want students to understand how to act well-mannered in social situations, as well as looking at long-term ways to stay healthy.”
Haveman cares deeply about the future of her students, and uses this class as another opportunity to prepare them for life’s next step. She constructs recipes that are cost-friendly so they are accessible to anyone who is interested in creating them at home.
Haveman also ensures that she is teaching safe habits in the kitchen so all skills are reciprocated at home. With her main priority of safety, she currently is the only person who models the use of knives and stoves. Haveman’s strives to create independence within the students she is teaching, so they can use the skills she showcases in their own kitchens.
“I feel very fortunate to teach this course,” Haveman said. “Cooking is something that makes me happy, and I hope to pass that joy onto my students.”
Students in the class receive positive encouragement from Haveman and find delight in the course. While some kids were hesitant at first, after only a few sessions they discovered the fun in cooking. Haveman has taken the reins on this class and persuaded her students to appreciate their education in the kitchen. Junior Mariah Rowe feels that the class has not only benefited her culinary skills but also her ability to pass on information and collaborate with others.
“[The class] taught me how to be more successful and how to be more communicative,” Rowe said.
Sophomore Devin Love enjoys the positive environment Haveman brings. She makes it easy to take pleasure in making staples for one’s kitchen and creating new recipes.
“I love learning how to cook,” Love said. “At first, I didn’t really care about it when I went into this class, but now I love cooking.”
Haveman hopes sharing this passion will help her students to stay active in the kitchen and create independence.
“This class is a perfect fit for me, and probably one of the most enjoyable classes of my career.” Haveman said.
All signs point to this course being a success through the educator and students involved.
