College of Education and Human Development

Meet Karen: Family studies (B.S.'08)

"There's so much involvement and so many things to do at WMU. It was the perfect fit and I felt like the instructors were phenomenal."

What is your role at Portage Northern Middle School?

I am the family consumer science teacher at Portage Northern Middle School.

What has the experience been working at Portage Northern Middle School?

I am so excited to be here. The students are amazing. I love my kids. I love the principals, they're so supportive. There's a lot of collaboration with staff. It's a great building to be in and I feel blessed and so happy to be here.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I've always felt like I wanted to be a teacher. I used to teach my stuffed animals when I was little. I would take attendance and I just love the energy that brought me. I get really excited, especially in this field. It's so much fun and there's so much going on. I'm a busybody, so I felt like it was a great fit for me to work with students in family and consumer science.

Why family and consumer science?

There's so many facets of family consumer science that I love. Family nutrition is my favorite and I love cooking. So trying to teach kids how to cook and teach them life skills is phenomenal. I absolutely love it.

Why WMU?

First of all, because it was in my backyard. But I also knew they had a great program for family and consumer sciences. I remember my home ed teacher and there weren't many schools available for that field, but once I was in it, I realized it was like the perfect fit and I felt like the professors were phenomenal.

I also felt like the WMU advising team was great. I didn't feel lost. I like the the big campus feel, but it's small. So I didn't feel like I was overwhelmed.

Why should future educators study at Western?

There's so much involvement and so many things to do. And the professors are so involved in your education. And if you're looking for a big school feel but you feel overwhelmed by those big schools, WMU is a great fit.

Family studies at WMU

The family science and human development: family studies concentration prepares students to use preventative and educational approaches in a variety of settings to strengthen individual and family well-being across the lifespan. Students explore relationships among individuals, families and their environment and culture with the goal of improving quality of life within communities and society at large.

The concentration provides skills and knowledge to enrich individual and family life. This concentration centers on family dynamics; the interrelationship of families and society; human growth and development throughout the lifespan; parent education; human sexuality; family resource management; the effects of policy and legislation on families; ethical considerations in professional conduct; impacts of cultural and historical contexts on individual, families, and societies; and how to teach and /or develop effective curriculum.

Graduates with the Family Studies concentration are eligible to be granted provisional status as a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) by the National Council on Family Relations.

Program overview

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