By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Students in Rhonda Clendenin’s Career Explorations classes at Union City Middle School got a glimpse into their futures and the challenges they will face with a recent project.
The lessons learned can be filed under “real life.”
Leaders Credit Union representatives Carrie Cantrell and Evan Flora visited campus and set up a ‘profile’ for each student that contained a mock occupation, monthly income, and a mock family with a spouse and child.
Having combined the salaries of their ‘family,’ classes learned the difference between gross and net income. With that knowledge, students began working on their budgets with monthly deductions for housing, transportation, childcare, and other regular expenses.
Another project challenge was the inclusion of a ‘wheel of reality’ curveball – essentially an unforeseen expense – which had to be accounted for in the budget. Ultimately, the students were judged on their abilities to make smart financial decisions that left them in the ‘positive’ and not the ‘negative’ once all checks and balances were calculated.
“There was a point in each class where students started to realize how challenging it is to budget and manage money,” Clendenin said.
The veteran teacher also used the opportunity to promote higher education – either college or trade school – to increase the likelihood of a better-paying job.
“I told each class that some of the lessons they learned about budgeting were reasons why parents say “no” to some of their wants and requests,” she claimed. “Also, the Leaders representatives told the students at the end of the presentation to go home and tell their parents “thank you” for everything they do for them.
“It was a great experience for them, and one that I’m sure will pay off for them down the road.”