I recall in junior high how I detested English - especially parsing out sentence structure into particulars like subordinate clause etc. That stuff was gagging me somehow and yet I think of how wealthy I would be now if only I had been interested.
Your post reminds me of how I would pass by the Home Economics room on my way to Metal and Wood Shop. I even recall one fellow being ribbed as femme or even homosexual, I don't recall exactly, for choosing Home Economics over the shop classes. Man! I am so glad to have even survived!