Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, April 06, 2010

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In the real world, everyone eventually spins the wheel of chance -- winding up with unexpected car repairs or late fees on a utility bill.

For middle school students whose notions about money often extend only as far as the local mall, a trip to the Reality Store brought relevancy to lessons about saving, spending and choices.

“It’s really about promoting life skills, and it shows the student what it’s like to live in the real world,” said Dana Adams, the Youth Services Center coordinator at Beaumont Middle School.

The program, “Welcome to the Game of Life,” features a roomful of booths where students make financial decisions based on their monthly income, such as “Buy a minivan or ride the city bus?” and “Rent an apartment or invest in a house?”

Edythe J. Hayes Middle School classmates Collin Hudson and Emily Bramel, whose careers were commercial pilot and doctor, respectively, noted that name-brand clothing and fancy cars aren’t necessities and that people can prioritize as they manage their money.

“You can’t always get everything you want,” said Emily, a seventh-grader. “If you try to get all the expensive things, your salary is going to go down the drain.”

More than 1,700 students and close to 400 volunteers participated in this spring’s Reality Store, hosted March 23-26 by the Fayette County Cooperative Extension. Middle schools rotating through the activity included Beaumont, Edythe J. Hayes, Jessie Clark, Morton, Tates Creek and Winburn.

The harsh reality of routine living expenses quickly set in: Students watched their bank balances shrink as they paid for things like cable TV, groceries, vacations, furniture and the unexpected speeding ticket.

“I had to get a second job. Child care, insurance – it took all my money away,” said Sabrina Miracle, a seventh-grader at Edythe J. Hayes Middle.

Katelyn Farrell, who teaches social studies at Hayes, said the impact is immediate. “If their money runs out, they’ll have to go back and think, ‘Where can I make a better decision?’”

Before students took their field trips, 4-H agent Kevin Lindsay helped the Youth Services Center coordinators at each school prepare the seventh- and eighth-graders with sessions on career options and budgeting. Students then were assigned jobs based on their current GPA. Chance determined their marital status and how many children they had to support.

“It can be a whole set of different scenarios. They do everything a family would do,” Beaumont’s Adams said. “Some of them who manage their money well come away with income left. Then there are others who go bankrupt.”

Thirteen-year-old Hayes student Tyler Diaz was taken aback by child-care expenses. He said the exercise also helped him understand why parents sometimes have to say “no” to a new toy or the latest video game.

“You can see how much your parents spend on you each month,” Sabrina added.

The students also made connections between how far they go with their schooling to future career opportunities and salaries.

“It makes you realize education matters,” Collin said. “How much money you make depends on your education.”

“It really tells you to start working harder now,” Tyler added.

Gabe Brown, the YSC coordinator at Jessie M. Clark, said goal-setting is a crucial part of the Reality Store program.

“We want this to be an eye-opener for them,” he said.