Grade 7 and 8 students at Oodenawi PS have been receiving a valuable lesson in economics and employment through an ongoing creative classroom project.
Teacher Tajpreet Gill is replicating what life as a working professional would look like for students in the real world by having them pay bills, write resumes and interview for jobs.
“Students created resumes and applied to class job positions specific to our classroom,” she says. “There were full time jobs available such as the banker, sweeper, shelver and part-time jobs such as pizza helper and recycler. The purpose of creating the resumes was for students to have an actual resume they can edit and use in the future as they may emerge into society and begin part-time jobs during secondary school. The next phase of the classroom economy required students to interview for their positions they applied to and were then placed into a class job.”
Gill explains each student receives a ‘student wage’ of $500 Eagle Bucks per month. They work their class jobs in two shifts every other week where they earn $20-$25 per day. On the first of each month, the class pays its bills - $400 in desk rent, $20 for hydro-electricity, $20 for Wi-Fi and a $10 Chromebook renting fee.
“The purpose of having students pay bills is to replicate how adults pay bills for their home and utilities each month,” Gill says. “Students then balance needs and wants throughout the month as they budget their spending. They can purchase privileges such as flexible seating passes for the month or assignment extensions. Students have signed our classroom economy contract which also outlines that they will also pay a $50/day late fee. Students might earn extra money for going above and beyond in our classroom, for example helping others or demonstrating kindness.”
In an effort to make the activity authentic and fun, at the end of each month the class opens a pop-up shop where items are auctioned off, allowing students the opportunity to purchase items. Students use a Google Sheet to track their purchases and spending habits to help them set their financial goals as they budget their Eagle bucks.
Gill says this activity is intended to show students the value of finances, budgeting and resume building.
“Through my classroom economy, students learn how hard they have to work to earn money and how easy it can be to spend,” she says, adding this activity is connected to the Learning and Achievement area of focus in the
HDSB’s 2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan. “I hope students learn how to budget their money now so when they earn money later, they will manage their money responsibly. I want students to practice writing resumes so when they apply to their first jobs, they will be more confident in themselves. Lastly, it’s important for students to learn to do a job they enjoy and to take pride in the work they do. I tried to give each student a job that they are interested in.”
Gill notes this classroom economy activity is related to the financial literacy strand of the Ontario Math curriculum, the resume and cover letter activities to the language arts curriculum for forms of writing for specific audiences and the interview piece to oral communication skills.
Waleed, a Grade 7 student, says the classroom activity has been very helpful.
“I’ve learned a lot from classroom economy like money management, being responsible with my money and saving for my goals. Classroom economy has been a very interesting experience and I'm excited to do it until the end of the year,” says Waleed, who applied for sweeper and popcorn distributor positions.
“Taking part in this activity has taught me the importance of a routine,” says Grade 7 student Khadija. “I love creating routines for my day because it makes me feel a lot more organized and having an agenda makes it easier and appealing to me to do my work. By being a shelver, I clean our shelves every day. It taught me to keep my place of work clean and take care of my belongings.”
