We did that back in the 50's and early 60's but there was no boys in Home
Economics. They took shop. Very gender specific back in the day.

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"Pati Cook" wrote in message
link.net...
When I was teaching "Life Skills" in a junior high inner city/barrio
school the kids all wanted to "cook". What they really wanted was to make
a mess in the kitchen. G So if the class behaved and earned the
privilege to do so it was a big production. Since this was a small k-8
school I could do this. "We" planned a lunch. Main dish, side dishes,
bread, desert and drinks. Had to be nutritious. Had to meet the basic
"color/texture" type standards that are basic to book meal planning. We
did as much as possible ahead of time and froze or refrigerated the parts.
Invitations to teachers went out. (we scheduled the lunch for regular
lunch time and I got permission for the kids to be late to their next
class in order to clean up, and to miss part of the class before to
prepare......) The students set the tables, including some sort of
decoration, and I had table cloths for the tables. They were to greet
their guests at the door, offer them something to drink, escort them to a
seat and had to make conversation during lunch. And not just about
school. G
Every time I did this, teachers made positive comments. And the students
learned some social "graces" that they did not learn or have exposure to
at home. And they discovered they could do some things that they hadn't
thought they could. And that teachers were human.
They also learned that cleaning up was a part of everything. Since we had
several prep days, everyone had a chance to wash dishes, dry dishes and so
on. One kid said that *he* didn't do dishes. (not to be racist, but he
was a "macho little Hispanic" and was proud of the fact. G ) I said
that it gave him a good chance to learn. He discovered he actually liked
washing dishes. go figure.
Some of the few good parts of that job were those luncheons.

Pati, in Phx

Roberta Zollner wrote:

Obviously nobody needs a mailed invitation to family dinner every
evening, and we mostly don't wear party clothes, and the food isn't
always fancy, but my children used the good china, set on a tablecloth,
with candles, a napkin, and cutlery/ glasses as required. And the rules
were exactly as you described every single night. Plus they were required
to sit up straight, participate in conversation, and help clear the table
afterwards. They never had any trouble with good manners in public. I
lost a plate or 2 and an occasional glass when they were very young, but
considered it a cheap tuition fee.

I love the idea of decorating hats to match the dress!
Roberta in D