One of the failings of K-12 education, in my opinion, has always been the lack of object lessons in the classroom. We spend way too much time cramming content rather than learning how to apply it. So, I always find it refreshing when I come across an example that combines content and application.
One time, I stayed at a hotel outside of Chicago’s O’Hare airport. As I was shuttled to the hotel, I struck up a conversation with the driver. It turned out he was an economics teacher in the Chicago Public Schools, moonlighting for some extra cash.
He told me he had set up his classes as micro-economies. “In other words,” he said, “each student has to rent their desk and chair and pay for expendables such as pens, pencils and paper. I give each of them their ‘wages’ every two weeks. From that, I subtract “taxes” and then they have to pay for the furniture and computers they use, along with anything else they need or want in the classroom. This forces them to learn how to budget and understand some basic micro-economics.”
I asked him how hard it was to administer. He told me it was an adventure at times. But he really felt like he was making a difference. I would imagine that if you asked his students later in life, they would say his class was one of the most memorable and useful they ever went through. In a time where the majority of individuals, of any age, can’t balance their personal accounts, this type of teaching is critical if we, as a nation, are to continue to thrive.
You may not be in education, but how can you develop object lessons like this one that will teach those you supervise how to think critically? I’m just saying.