Over the roar of students conversing with their peers, attempting to make sound financial decisions, a frustrated, “I make $2,000 a month! How am I broke!?” rings clear through the …
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Over the roar of students conversing with their peers, attempting to make sound financial decisions, a frustrated, “I make $2,000 a month! How am I broke!?” rings clear through the gymnasium. One question many of us are probably wondering too…
Welcome to reality.
On Thursday, the old gymnasium at Mexico Middle School transformed into its own little town complete with a realtors office, insurance agency, bank, grocery store, automobile dealership and more.
“We have a bunch of different community members who have volunteered,” says Counselor Aimee Blackburn. “CMCA is helping with social services, realtors are at housing and then we have different insurance groups at the insurance places.”
The Reality Store, sponsored by Mexico Middle School and the Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce, began back in 2011 with a William Woods intern. The program and everything it entails, including the worksheets, was purchased by the middle school and simulates life as an adult.
The Game of Life
Every year, on the first Thursday of November, eighth graders are given a worksheet. At the very top is their job title, personal income, combined income if they are married, federal tax rate, benefits, ages and children.
Once they assume their new identity, it is time to crunch some numbers.
“During one of their classes throughout the day they will sit down as a class and fill all of this out so they end up getting their monthly net income,” says Blackburn referring to the worksheet.
All of the identities are different with unique situations. The incomes and tax rates are updated every few years to reflect the modern world and there are stipulations attached.
Students must purchase or rent a house, which they will need insurance for, with a bank loan and pay their property tax. If they have a spouse who works, both will need a car as well as insurance.
After that is done, students will have to factor in paying for water, trash, sewage, utilities, groceries, clothing and childcare which is also a requirement in the program for all children under 12-years-old.
When all of the not-so-fun facets of living as an adult are covered, they are given the opportunity to include luxuries such as cell phone plans, entertainment services, subscriptions, internet and pets.
“If they are coming up short and need an extra job we have job applications over here,” says Blackburn.We also have social services which can give them help with health insurance, which they have to have, or it cuts their grocery price in half.”
Once they have filled everything out, students add everything up to see if they have made it or landed themselves in debt. If that's the case, students are given the opportunity to rethink their purchases or apply for aid.
“If they are in debt, they have to go back and either go to social services or buy a different car or try to buy a different house,” says Blackburn.
It takes a village
Blackburn has seen incredible value in this program so she has extended the program beyond her school.
“I have invited outside districts so Community R-6 , MMA, St. Brendan’s and St. Joseph are coming this afternoon,” says Blackburn.
The success of the program is something even the parents of these eighth grade students can see. Blackburn has had parents call her to thank her for helping her students realize what things cost.
“It helps them realize that life is not really cheap and just kind of helps them understand the value of a dollar,” says Blackburn.
Pulling off something so intricate is no small feat and it really is all hands on deck. In addition to school support staff and community members, William Woods social work majors Bri Allison, Kyla Nix, Jenny Selby along with psychology major Kel Jones and associate professor of social work Dory Andrew are available to assist students.
Jones explains that he is most often helping with the final calculations at the end. He went through a similar program when he was younger back home in Arkansas and after working so closely with students throughout the day he reminds them to, “Ask questions before it’s too late.”
The William Woods students are in the same social work class together and it is everyone’s, including Andrew’s, first year at Mexico Middle School’s Reality Store.
“They’re not just sitting learning about it, they actually have to do it,” says Andrew. “They have circumstances and unexpected things; it helps prepare you for reality.”
These unexpected circumstances come in the form of Mexico High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). They are circling the gymnasium with “chance cards” to tack onto students’ worksheets.
“A lot of things are negative like ‘repair your leaky roof' or maybe you win a bingo tournament so you win a little extra money that comes in your monthly paycheck,” explains Bentley McCarty, an FBLA member volunteering her time at the Reality Store.
McCarty is a freshman who just the year before, was in the same position as these middle schoolers.
“I think it’s a good chance to dip your toes in the water,” says McCarty. “The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be in your future. I think it’s a good time to start now.”
The day was split into two sessions and lunch, paid for by United Credit Union, provided sandwiches from Dagwoods to all of the volunteers in between.
Following their trip through the Reality Store, the students are asked to fill out an evaluation; they go over what they’ve learned and think about what their futures have in store for them.
Being in eighth grade, it's less about coming up with an exact plan for their future; they still have time. What is important is having the tools to make sound, sustainable decisions backed by the knowledge they gained going through a day in their future at the Reality Store.