About Fresh FACS

I have just retired from teaching Family and Consumer Science after 32 years in the classroom. My approach to teaching has always been a little unique. My students never knew exactly what to expect when they came to class each day. Family and Consumer Science lends itself to creative activities and I always prided myself on my ability to structure innovative learning situations. By implementing a variety of instructional methods, students responded well to the curriculum content presented. This web site and the resources we publish are a reflection of this basic philosophy of innovation and creativity.

I have a good record of designing projects that not only encourage learning, but that students enjoy completing. I want my students to be actively engaged in learning from bell to bell and I've found that these projects help me to accomplish that. Students need to see that there is an application to the content they are learning and when I develop a project, I always try to keep relevancy in mind. 

I believe strongly in curriculum integration and that is why you will see an emphasis on core curriculum skills in the projects that I have developed. Students need to understand that every course that they take has the same ultimate goal and that is to prepare them for life after graduation. That is why I take every opportunity in my classroom to emphasize the basics like reading and writing skills, science concepts, history and cultural information, and math skills. Once again, application is the key to understanding. 

The resources offered to you by Fresh FACS Publishing and this web site have been presented at various educational conferences and have been implemented in classrooms across the US. The teachers who have incorporated them into their classroom have been pleased with their students’ response to the activities. I hope you will have the same experience. Please let me know how they work in your classroom. I would also welcome suggestions for other projects that you would like to see developed. If I can be of help to you in any way, I’d love to hear from you. I look forward to assisting you in making the FACS classroom a vibrant and vital learning environment.

Ramona L. Hatch