Home Work: Incarceration part 2 and ~the cover~
Home Work: Incarceration part 2 and ~the cover~
Of all the places you wouldn’t expect home economists to work, prison might top the list. But that was retired Army drill sergeant Kyle Roberson’s workplace when he decided to major in family and consumer sciences, the contemporary term for home ec.
(The drill sergeant part is actually less surprising: Home economics has a long history in the military, dating back to dietitians serving in World War I. But that’s for another email, and chapters 3, 6 and 8 of my book.)
The last installment of this newsletter featured Margaret Murray Washington’s work in prisons. I’m now working on a long story about correctional education, so I’m introducing you to another home economist whose work involves incarceration — and expands people’s thinking about the potential role of home economics in society.
Growing up in north central Texas, Roberson never expected to go to college. He served in the military as a firefighter, earning an associate’s degree in the process, then became a corrections officer, then shifted to his prison’s education team. He needed more education himself to advance, so he went back to school.
Why home economics? “When I reflected on what I really wanted to gain from a program, it came back to the foundations of what Family and Consumer Sciences offers, and the question of, ‘how could I best serve my current students?’” he wrote in his 2019 dissertation. Home economists are expert in academics, vocational subjects, life skills and communication, he later wrote in Corrections Today. That suited his multivariate job. Roberson supervised GED classes; life skills classes such as parenting, basic money management, mock interviews and healthy relationships; literacy programs, including helping inmates to read with their children; a creative writing class that published its own magazine; job training courses with formal certificates and associate’s degrees, in areas such as horticulture and welding; and an academic bachelor’s degree program with Mount Marty University. All in an environment that challenged everyone’s interpersonal skills, to say the least.
“One point I seem to find myself repeating when mentoring staff is to remember that their punishment is being separated from society, not for us to make [prisoners’] lives more difficult or unpleasant while here,” Roberson wrote. He hoped to help correctional officers understand themselves better so that they might treat their charges with more humanity. He saw himself as walking in the footsteps of the Army firefighting veterans who made sure that he was OK, as a novice, after particularly distressing rescues. “I came to realize I want to be one of those kind of men. A teacher and mentor to those willing to enter professions most shy away from.”
Even the education staff struggled to treat the inmates as “people first and inmates second,” he wrote. “If all correctional workers approached the inmates this way, the prison would run smoother and safer and there would be fewer confrontations.” As an officer, Roberson used to ask inmates to read aloud posted rules that they were violating. As an educator, he realized that it not only counterproductive but humiliating, because so many could barely read.
He found ways to connect with his students, such as inviting a man he calls “Mr. Attitude” to walk through the prison’s botanical garden as migrating monarch butterflies floated through. Even something as seemingly minor as letting prisoners choose which subject part of the GED to take first made a huge difference in their motivation and their behavior. (Ironically, the South Dakota prison campus used to be a college itself.)
Roberson completed almost all of his own higher education through online and distance programs while working full-time. That opened up conversations with inmates about lifelong learning, and he used his own experiences to help his students find pride in their accomplishments. For instance, after he realized how much it inspired him to wear college apparel, he arranged for those enrolled in an associate’s degree program to get college-branded water bottles and pens. He made sure that the college graduates participated in commencement at Mount Marty. “For many, it is literally the first time they have taken part in any type of recognition ceremony,” he wrote.
At age 41, Roberson completed his bachelor’s degree. He earned his Ph.D. at age 48 and is now a professor at Texas Tech. (It’s never too late, folks.)
Along with training the next generation of home economics teachers, Roberson is now urging his two fields to meet. Prisons should recruit home economists; home economists must help families of incarcerated people.
“The field of Family and Consumer Sciences has the wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of families and communities. There is no reason more focus cannot be given to the families and communities related to prison populations and their families,” he wrote.
Book Update
When the Norton design team started its work, I had just one request: that the design reflect what home economics really has been—serious, scientific, career-oriented and undertaken by women of all races. Turns out that’s not so easy to find captured in just one or two photos. We sent out advance reading copies with a provisional cover. At last, I present … the real cover!
That is the great Flemmie Kittrell at her lab table!!! Thank you so much to designer Sarahmay Wilkinson and her team, who scythed through the thickets.
Recipe of the Month
Speaking of book covers, how about a pelican wearing a chef’s toque? That’s the cover of A “Beak” Full of Recipes!, a cookbook by the Louisiana School Food Service Association. My copy appears to be a 1989 reprint of a 1978 compilation. This contribution, from Ila Mae Bertucci at New Orleans’ Crossman School … which happens to be in my neighborhood … looks delicious.
Eggplant Caponata
2 large onions, chopped
2 c. celery, chopped
2 toes garlic, cut in large pieces
1 can Progresso tomatoes (8 oz.)
1 c. olives (salad)
Capers and pepper to taste
2 large eggplants, diced in large pieces (1–1 ½ inch) with peel on
3 T. vinegar
3 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. water
2 bay leaves
“Wash and cut eggplant in squares leaving peelings on. Drain. Fry in deep fat. Remove from fat and drain on paper towel. Fry onions until soft, not brown. Then add tomatoes, celery, salt, sugar, vinegar, bay leaves, water, olives, capers and pepper. Simmer on low fire until celery is soft. Do not overcook.”
“Toes” of garlic might be a Louisiana-specific usage—is it? let me know—that I’ve somehow not heard in eight-plus years. btw, I switched e-newsletter providers from Tinyletter to Substack for formatting reasons, but it’s still free. Tucked into the small print so I don’t tucker you out with selling: Now if you preorder the book, the store website will show the proper cover!
Header photo: Central High School, Charlotte Court House, Virginia, 1943. “Studying difference in cloth at home economics cottage and making a report on her findings.” Library of Congress.
Copyright 2021 Danielle Dreilinger/DreiGoods LLC