Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 93

Cooking Club has been a means by which I am able to advocate for students and help them have equal opportunities. Students today are often in households where both parents work. As a girl growing up in Washington, DC, my growing up years were wonderful in many ways, but they also included needing to take care of a lot of things myself because I, too, had parents that worked. When parents are busy working, sometimes multiple jobs, there isn’t always time to invest in teaching basic life skills. Microwave dinners are convenient and often essential to many families, but what if these students were given the opportunity to learn how to cook a few basic and nutritious meals for themselves, improving their health and giving them skills that can be used for a lifetime. Cooking Club works on specific kitchen competencies, such as accurate ingredient measurement, how to read a recipe, safe cutting practices, and general food safety, such as paying attention to expiration dates and avoiding cross-contamination. The students enrolled and I make pancakes, hamburgers, quesadillas, mug cake, homemade buttercream icing, and various styles of eggs, which are all things that can be made from home with a few simple ingredients. Many children are taught these things at home, but many are not. Providing my students with this opportunity is important for allowing them the same access to safe and healthy food as their peers. It helps ensure they, too, have access to the skills they need to live an independent and healthy lifestyle.

Ninety-three students signed up to be a part of Cooking Club this year. During each six-week session, students learned life skills that not only taught food handling and preparation safety, but also gained efficacy knowing they were able to for themselves produce healthy and delicious meals. Students were also able to work with other students they may have never had contact with otherwise. They learned empathy as they each told stories about why they signed up for Cooking Club, their experience with various ingredients or recipes, including their family of origin or experiences they had. In addition to the obvious cooking skills, I loved being able to watch these students connect with students they would not have without this club. As a Counselor, I learned a ton about my students and where they come from, their home lives, their relationships, and who they are as human beings outside the regular classroom. 

The children I had the honor to work with through this club are the very same humans that will be shaping the world we live in tomorrow. If we do n ot provide them with opportunities to grow and thrive, we all lose. I am thankful for this opportunity to embrace our students, wherever they are in life, and work together with them for a better future for them and this world.