Some guidance counselors and school administrators think that students should not take cooking classes because cooking classes will distract them from academics. In my opinion, students should take cooking classes in any grade.

Guidance counselors and school administrators say this sentence to students: “Your parents will teach you how to cook at home.” What if their parents do not have time to teach them? What if parents are not there to teach their children how to cook? Think about high school students. Some of them want to live at their college or university after they finish high school. Most of them will be working in jobs or internships where they have to bring lunch to save money and survive. Also, it is important to note that homemade food is healthier than restaurant-made food. The way some restaurants make their food can be detrimental to students’ health.

Guidance counselors and school administrators are wrong when they think that cooking classes will distract students from academics. Spending too much time on academics can also be distracting for students. Students are learning subjects that do not pertain to their future. They are not going to use and remember what they learned from those subjects every day. However, they have to use and remember their cooking skills every day. Guidance counselors and school administrators say that students are learning everything that they need for their future but the truth is that students are not learning everything that they need for their future.

Cooking classes do not have to take up a lot of time in schools. They can be from thirty to sixty minutes. Thirty to sixty minutes can make a big difference for students. Students will learn something valuable within that time frame. Cooking will not negatively impact students’ academic progress. It can surprisingly help students improve their academic progress. Students’ brains will be more relaxed. Students can also apply their cooking skills and knowledge to the content areas that they are studying. When guidance counselors and school administrators use the word “success”, they make that word pertain to academics only. Success should also pertain to necessities.