Students Butcher Moose In Class
A friend who lives in Alaska (initials: D. R.) recently posted a story about a class that butchered a moose.
Her status update read "Do any schools do this in Louisiana?". Well, Debbie Ray, that answer is easy: No. Because we don't have moose in Louisiana!
What Louisiana schools used to do (at least when I was in school) was butcher cows in class. Yes, our agriculture class had a "meat room" next to the agriculture building, and we had a class on butchering meats.
The Future Farmers of America still have Cattle Judging (now called "Livestock Evaluation") contests and, if memory serves me correctly, the class was also a way to help train the FFA Cattle Judging Team.
Anyway, the class didn't slaughter the cow, as that was done off-site. The cow showed up already dressed and halved. What we did was to cut the rest of the cow into its respective roasts, steaks, etc.
This is what is left of that meat packing facility at Henry High School.
It's long gone, having been damaged by Hurricane Rita. Actually, the whole school is long gone, again, due to heavy damage from Rita. All that is left standing is the old agriculture shop, which is also where we held the FFA meetings, and the gymnasium. We learned so much in that shop: welding, small engine repair, debate (Parliamentary Procedure), we even potted and sold vegetable plants.
Anyway, I applaud the school in Alaska that is teaching the kids about butchering a moose (and the Alaska Star newspaper for reporting it). I am not an education expert, but I think that there isn't enough emphasis put on subjects that teaches our kids to use their minds AND their hands.
More From 99.9 KTDY
