Which statement primarily appeals to ethos, or character, to support the position that cooking is a valuable life skill that should be taught in school? When it comes to cooking, I side with the Women's Institute , which believes that more cooking instruction in schools can help reduce food waste at home. Because groceries are relatively cheap in comparison with eating out, and cooking is not a difficult skill to learn , it follows that providing cooking instruction in schools would serve students well. We want today's young people to be independent and career -ready, and yet we place so little emphasis on life skills such as cooking that some young adults do not even know how to boil water.