Originally published in TEACH Magazine, September/October 2022 Issue
By Martha Beach
Carrie Clarkson took family studies when she was in Grade 12 and, after becoming a teacher herself, volunteered to teach it to Grades 6, 7, and 8. “It was then I realized that I could actually teach family studies as a career,” says Clarkson, who now teaches Grades 10–12 with the Halton District School Board in Ontario. “It’s a passion. And that passion really started when I was in school taking these types of courses myself.”
The courses that Clarkson teaches are very different from what we might think of as traditional home economics courses. Gone are the days of learning to repair a torn shirt sleeve or traditionally set a table. Clarkson remembers her mother talking about taking home ec courses: “They taught her how to properly section an orange.”
Martha Beach lives and works in Toronto as a freelance fact-checker, editor, and writer for a wide variety of publications. When she’s not working, you’ll find Martha on her yoga mat or hanging out with her daughter and husband.
