Zainab Chaudhary

Ms. Megan Frost has been a teacher at WHS for around four years. She teaches subjects related to food, such as “Food for Today” and “Food and Wellness”, as well as personal living skills. Ms. Frost is the advisor of FCCLA (Family Career Community Leaders of America) and a staff member of the Student Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D) organization. She aims to make her classes informative yet relaxing learning environments. However, many students may not know much about her and her food classes. Therefore, here are ten questions to get to know Ms. Frost and her classes. 

What courses or degrees are needed to become a food class teacher? 

I got my degree from Western Michigan University and the major is called Family and Consumer Sciences which covers a lot of various domains of what I teach in the area. During my time there, I also took a few cooking and baking classes. In addition to that, I can also teach interior design, and child development and am highly qualified to teach health. So there’s quite a bit that goes under this umbrella of family and consumer sciences. 

Why did you choose this subject among all the different subjects you could have chosen? What do you think is the best part of teaching this subject and why it might be important for students?

I think that life skills are very important. Outside of my classroom, it’s labeled Life Management Department. So I feel honored to be able to contribute to hopefully some idea of some portion of student overall wellness. Part of why I chose this subject is I’m a third-generation home economics teacher. My grandmother taught food and sewing at Trenton High School for over 30 years and my mom taught food, sewing, and health classes in Dearborn Heights district for 30 years. And so now I get to be the third generation of people who are teaching this. It’s funny that I never took home economics courses, or as they call it now, family and consumer sciences courses, in high school, but I did grow up sewing with my grandma and cooking with my mom. I had other fun activities too, but I firmly believe that students should learn life skills that will help them succeed in the future. That’s why I chose to teach this subject.

How do you help students who have different food needs and allergies?

For allergies in particular, I conduct a food survey at the beginning of the semester to allocate that or to collect that kind of food information, so I’m doubly aware of what allergies I’m dealing with. Also, I plan labs that can best accommodate the needs of my students regarding allergies or food restrictions. In case of strong food aversions or intolerances, I will work with the students to excuse them from certain lab experiences, if that best fits the situation. Alternatively, I design labs that exclude specific food components if necessary. 

How do you encourage students to make healthy food choices?

If I knew the perfect key for that it would be amazing. But as a teacher, I encourage my students to make healthy food choices. I educate them about the consequences of not making healthy food choices, particularly the role of unhealthy foods in contributing to heart disease and other negative health outcomes. By teaching them the negative impact of healthy food choices on organ health, optimal body functioning, and overall well-being, I hope to inspire my students to make lifelong healthy food choices.

If you could introduce one change to the school’s food program, What would it be and why?

I am going to talk specifically about my program. I guess it would benefit me personally if we had longer class periods like a block of schedule. But I also spent ten years as a Spanish teacher. I know that block scheduling is not ideal for everybody. I’m not suggesting we change our current schedule, but longer class periods would allow me to conduct labs that require more than 55 minutes to complete. 

What advice do you have for students who might want to pursue a career in the food industry?

I would encourage them to start taking food classes in school. I have food for today and food and wellness class. Additionally, there is a program through DCTC where students can pursue culinary. So that would be the next component that I would suggest students pursue if they are interested in a career in the food industry.

Can you share any memorable moments or experiences in food class?

My favorite moment in class is when there’s the hustle and bustle of ensuring that kids complete everything they need to within the allotted period. It feels a bit hectic and chaotic, but then once the food is served during the time, everything becomes quiet. That’s the moment where I feel like I wish I could have ten more minutes of this part. I hate when the hour ends and it feels so rushed, but it makes me happy, when I see the kids talking with one another and making it a social experience in addition to just making food.

What’s something you would like to tell students about yourself or food class?

I would just encourage students to take my class. I try to make it interactive and fun and I hope that students will continue to register for learning about the intricacies and the fun of making food.

How else are you involved in the Woodhaven school community?

I am the advisor of FCCLA which stands for Family Career Community Leaders of America. To explain it simply, I usually use an analogy to what DECA is to the business world, and FCCLA is to the family and consumer sciences world. It is a national organization that includes components of competition in the field. My chapter is currently working on philanthropy projects in our community, so that gets us involved in the Woodhaven school community. In addition to FCCLA, I also Advise students against destructive decisions as part of SA.D.D. I work with Mrs Alderman, so those are the two clubs that I’m involved with at school.

What is something you are passionate about outside of school and work? And how do you like to spend your free time?

I have two small kids and this idea of having free time sounds fantastic. If I had more free time, I’d probably pursue reading which I don’t get much time for these days. However, at the moment I enjoy keeping up with my kids, and at the end of the day, I’m exhausted, and I guess my free time is when I get to go to bed early. But yeah, I keep myself busy with my son and his activities. He is a swimmer and does cub scouts. He also plays piano and attends piano lessons. So I kept busy with all these activities and stuff.