by Claire Webster

Mrs. Pederson is the Family and Consumer Science teacher at Bellbrook High School through a Greene County Career Center extension program. In the classes she teaches, she helps students learn skills that will help them in the future.

Mrs. Pederson is currently teaching Child Development, Global Foods, Nutrition and Wellness, Culinary Fundamentals, and Personal Wellness. “These courses empower individuals to take action for the well-being of themselves and others in the home, workplace and community,” according to GCCC’s website. Mrs. Pederson was inspired by her own home economics class when she was in high school. “I took a couple of Family Consumer Science classes in high school and I loved them.  I loved having hands-on experiences, learning about life skills all while having fun.  As I started taking classes in college, I knew this was what I wanted to teach.  I could not imagine doing anything else,” said Pederson.

Not only do students in these classes learn a variety of skills they need later in life, but they also learn communication and problem solving skills. In Mrs. Pederson’s child development class, her students learn how to take care of small children and parent them. “I love teaching the process of human development. Knowledge of each stage of development is so important in understanding how to care for a child.  Students gain an understanding of the life long commitment it takes to become a parent.  We have a lot of fun sharing different experiences and a lot of great classroom discussions,” said Pederson. 

Students enjoy taking Mrs. Pederson’s classes to gain more maturity and the basic life skills, whether cooking, baking, raising children, and being healthy. Right now there are approximately 20-25 students per class who want to learn how to be a capable adult. “This class helps me prepare for the future because it teaches me about children, how to take care of them, and the needs a child has as it gets older. Since I want to be a mother, the class helps me prepare for that,” said Bellbrook sophomore Caitlyn Bowser. “I have matured because I learned how difficult it is to take care of a baby, and how much work and money it is. It really shows you how important it is to have a good stable income and a good job to have a child. And it makes people think twice before rushing into becoming a parent.”