During the months of January and February, students in Brufftopia have engrossed themselves in the class economy. At the end of January, students who budgeted well paid their rent and took part in the class auction. There have been a number of successes and challenges.

One challenge was a few students were not able to pay their rent. The students who could not afford the $2,000 fee for their desk accrued many fines during the month of January. Fines ranged from: not prepared for their reading group, frequent bathroom trips during teaching times, inappropriate language, tardiness, misusing materials, not keeping hands to themselves, etc. A few students who could not afford to pay their rent decided to take part in the class auction. Since then, they have spent the month of February doing odd jobs to improve the class community.

The class economy motivates student success in the classroom. Every student finds ways to contribute to the class community. Each day students are rewarded with Bonus Money when they meet expectations (I’ve got the quietest line of students in the hallway).

Let’s Start a Business

I have also found ways to engage in deep, meaningful conversations with students. One such conversation happened when a student asked me about opening a business. The student wanted to start a pencil sharpening business. At the beginning of each day, they would make sure their client had 2 sharpened pencils in their desk for $30 a week.

At first, I thought it was a good idea for a new business since students are fined $50 for not being prepared with a pencil. Together we talked about niche markets, the service he would provide, how he would provide the service and his marketing campaign. As we got to the meat of the conversation when we discussed his goals for the pencil sharpening business. The student wanted to make enough money to pay off his desk. Immediately he thought about raising his price to $50 then $100 dollars. We talked about how many customers he would need, does he want to have any incentives for students who refer new customers, etc. By the end of the conversation, we created a strong business plan for the student to pay off their desk in 2 months.

January and February Takeaway

Although the class economy has taken a lot of time to set up, it has been well worth it. I find rewarding the kids for what they are supposed to be doing has encouraged many students to do more than what is expected. They seem excited about being recognized for their hard work.