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By Jo-Anne PelisseCourses in human ecology are not new in Manitoba’s scholastic system but the Lord Selkirk school division has made a strong move to ensure that the importance of these courses are an integral part of Selkirk’s school system. ,,Starting in 1984, the human ecology course was made into a major program. Students are now able to take the prescribed series of instruction in preparation for employment with people.“The course is ‘people-oriented’,’’ says Shirley Lawrence, one of three instructors in the human ecology department.“The students are learning about people with different needs and how those needs can be met,” she adds.Courses offered through the human ecology program include child care; fabric and fashion arts; foods and nutrition: the family and society; people places, a study in human environment and community services.This year the department received a boost from the department of education. Current renovations at the high school have given the human resoursesEducationMcKen-in theprogram a larger and more conducive area to work from.Renovations include additional classroom space, a roomier and more complex childcare facility, a sewing lab and a foods lab.“The new wing shows the department of education is willing to spend money and time to furnish this area and acknowledges the importance of this type of education,” says Linda zie, another instructor department.Lawrence adds “The renovations don’t mean we can run the courses the way we want but it gives us more flexibility, something we didn’t have before.“We can now accommodate more students, as well.”And more students is what they are getting.In the past, the human ecology courses were offered as electives only. Students looking for an extra credit could choose any one ofnoursethem to complete their high school requirements.The courses have been offered since the school first opened. They are now offered both as a major and as electives.The idea of turning these classes into a major course came from the students, themselves, according to Ruth Carriere, the third instructor.“The students wanted to take more of these courses but found they were interfering with their majors,” she says.The workload of the instructors has doubled over the past year. They now instruct over 200 students who are involved in both the major and the electives courses.“We’ve had good feedback from the community and from public and government organizations, as well,” says Lawrence.In the community services classes, the students spend hald their time working at various locations throughout Selkirk. These include ARC Industries, nursing homes, the Selkirk Mental Health Centre and the Selkirk General Hospital.“The skills learned on-the-job are geared to human relationships, not job training,” says McKenzie who heads this area of instruction.“They are going out to relate toWednesday, September 11,1985 THE SELKIRK JOURNAL 7people, not learn how to make beds and other such tasks,” she adds.“We’ve had some good feedback from the placed where our students have worked, as well.”The classes offered through the human ecology program are considered helpful for a student’s career exploration.According to the instructors, post-secondary education can be continued although the courses are not geared specifically towards that end.“We get a variety of students and we tailor the program to meet the needs of all of them,” says Lawrence. “University entrance qualifications are gained through the human ecology program.”Since the course was incorporated into a major, more and more university bound students are coming in to take the courses.The program has an advisory board made up of people from the community, representatives from the universities and Red River Community College, and from a day care office.According to the instructors, the University of Manitoba representative says a background in human ecology will benefit students no matter what faculty they choose to enter.“There are personal benefits, aswell,” says Lawrence.She attributes this to the changing times the students are living through.“There are all kinds of new technologies to deal with, new things to adapt to and the growing amount of family upheaval to live with,” says Lawrence.“It is important to study human needs and relationships,” she adds. “These are key concepts which are incorporated into each course in the major; all is part ol the whole.”For those students who gc directly into the workforce, the human ecology program helps tc develop good work attitudes, a better understanding ot themselves and an understanding of what they have to offer.Car DoctorMobile Auto RepairSpecializing •In: •Tune-ups Oil Changes • General RepairWhy take time out of vour busv schedule to* m ' ' * ' *take your car to a garage at their convenience when we can come to your home at your convenienceReasonable Rates — Free Estimates757-9364WE MAKE HOUSE CALL
Newspaper Details
Selkirk Journal
Selkirk, Manitoba, CA
Wed, Sep 11, 1985
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Thurgood M.
MD, USA 17 Nov 2018
Other Publications Near Selkirk, Manitoba
Selkirk Record
Selkirk Weekly Record
Selkirk Record and Canadian Fishing Gazette
Selkirk Enterprise
Selkirk Journal
