Students get a taste of the real world
Girls from District 150 learn about responsibility during program at InPlay
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
BY MICHELLE ANSTETT
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
PEORIA - BreAija Porter didn't realize how much it costs each month to keep her stomach full.
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"I thought it cost, maybe, $50," BreAija, 11, a student at Calvin Coolidge Middle School, said after completing the "Welcome to the Real World" simulation at InPlay on Monday morning.
She was one of about 75 District 150 girls in grades eight through 12 to participate in the program, sponsored by the Women's Advisory Board for Financial Literacy and moderated by the University of Illinois Extension in East Peoria.
"Financial education is important for everyone," said Jennifer Hunt, an extension educator. "Writing checks is a skill they need to have."
Each of the girls began the day pretending to be 25 years old and choosing an occupation from a list of nearly 175 possibilities. "Doctor" was not listed because the necessary schooling would not be completed by age 25.
They were then given a monthly salary, based on averages for entry-level salaries gleaned from national labor statistics for each occupation and told how much they paid in taxes. From there, they were encouraged to put 10 percent of their gross income into a fictional savings account.
"We need to make sure we're paying ourselves first," Hunt said.
The girls then chose from housing options, which type of new car to buy, insurance plans, one of three grocery groupings, utilities, clothing and entertainment. With each choice, they had to write a check for the amount and subtract it from their bank account, just as they would do in the real world.
Finally, each girl was told to draw a card at the "Deck of Chance" table and would either owe or receive money. Some of the cards included a $20 reward for finding a lost wallet, a $50 loss for bouncing a check and spending $85 to redecorate a bedroom.
Many of the girls ended up in the red by the end of the simulation, but 11-year-old Brittany Moore-Sharp, a student at Roosevelt Magnet School, managed her money very wisely. She chose secondary education as an occupation, netting her $2,315 per month. After choosing the lower-priced options at each station, including purchasing a small truck and eating just three lunches out per month, she was left with a balance of $767.
"I had to choose from many things that I wanted and make good choices," she said, as she pretended to write checks to her other group members who hadn't made such wise choices.
BreAjia was not quite as fiscally responsible and was on the receiving end of one of Brittany's fictitious checks. She began the day as a bank teller, and her checking account started with $1,055.
She chose to rent an apartment for $600, didn't take the option of life insurance and chose the lowest plan for groceries, which cost $150. However, she did choose to include long distance and cellular phone service to her utilities bill.
Her biggest surprise of the day came at the Deck of Chance table, where she learned she had to pay a veterinarian $100 for her sick dog.
"You got a dog?" Brittany asked.
BreAija shrugged and looked at the $420 negative balance recorded in her checkbook. "I guess I did."
Michelle Anstett can be reached at 686-3196 or
manstett@pjstar.com.