Mock Money

I opened the drawer of my desk hoping to find my favorite triangular highlighter. I removed a bunch of grocery store receipts that my husband had been hoarding and tossed them in the garbage. A mock dollar bill lay huddled in a corner amongst several quarters. This was an example of the "play money” that I gave my students as a reward for completing their weekly work at my tutoring center.

Each student attended classes a few times a week and would take work home for the remainder of the days. As soon as the students turned in their homework and showed me the work they had completed in-class, they were entitled to a weekly pay of seven mock dollars—one for every day's completed work.

On the last class of the month, my assistant would escort the beaming students to a special corner with goodies stacked neatly on a red shelf. After careful scrutiny of the prizes, the students (many of whom were in elementary school) would calculate to see whether they had enough to buy the prize they wanted. If not, they would wait until next month to accumulate more dollars in order to buy the desired item. Most times, the children saved up 15 or 30 mock dollars for purchases at the end of the month. This is how they learnt the merits of 'saving' for a later day.

In one extreme case, one of the students, Trevor, came in with a collection of 500 dollars to make purchases. Unfortunately, I had to tell him to come back next week as the most expensive items I had at the time were $20 gift cards to various stores. Thinking quickly, the following week, I gave him the choice of selecting from several rare baseball cards, for which I still haven’t stopped hearing the end of from my son.

Occasionally, a student would innocently ask, "Can I take the reward prize and pay you later?" Even at such a young age, many children had observed their parents using the credit cards. Needless to say, we had to give them a firm 'no' and tell them that we didn't operate on 'credit system'.

From time to time, I would also get the question: “Can you put my favorite prize away so I can pick it up next month?" hoping it would be there waiting for them when they returned with the necessary amount. This is how they learnt about the 'layaway' system.

The students who attended classes at my center were from different cultures and nationalities. But they all had a smile for each other upon seeing the prizes. Though the parents of these students could afford to buy them anything they wanted, they were nonetheless thrilled to earn these items through their hard work. Of course, the students also learnt important skills such as money management, time management, and, most importantly, vital math and reading skills.

Children tend to get along with other children easily because they overlook prejudices that adults hold. They can even cross the barriers of language and culture if they find a toy or a game that they can share.

There is a Native Indian story that says all the religions and cultures of the world are like colorful threads. When these colorful threads are woven together, they form a shiny cloth that reaches up to Heaven in prayer.

 

Dear Jaya

Thank you for your opening Fb. Yeah, children learn in a fun way without realizing they are learning new concepts.

 

Dear Mindi

Thank you Mindi dear. I am glad to have made an positive impact in their lives.

 

Dear Padmini aunty,

Glad to see your Fb. Thank you for those lovely words.

 

Dear Cutepavi,

Keeping them interested and motivated is very important. I find working with children a rewarding experience. Children learn a lot by observation and know far more than we knew at their age.