Students are learning so many advanced classes in schools these days…. even kindergartners can code robots. But give a 16-year-old some cash and ask them to make change, you may get a stumped look on their face.
One North Texas School says it's time to change that.
Just like the classic board game, Ms. Burleson's Financial Literacy class at Forney High School teaches "Life."
"Throughout the year, we play basically a game. It's a lab for the whole class," said teacher Pam Burleson. "The kids all start off at the same level. They are considered recent college graduates and they're married. So when we go to file taxes, they are married filing jointly for that purpose."
The students earn a salary, have bills that are due and, just like "in real life," a spin of the wheel can cost you cash.
Student Gabe Soto's life was all planned out, but then twins came along and his plan got sent for a loop.
"I've stopped eating out as much," said Soto.
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It's adulting, as the kids are calling it these days, and they're all eager to come in here and soak it all in.
"Most of our classes teach us about academics and mathematics, but we are never really taught what we actually need to survive as adults," said 12th grader Vera Penniston.
She recently learned how the stock market works, and now she's tackling how to buy a car.
"They had to calculate their loans, interest, and fees. They had to negotiate the price," said Burleson.
The program was created by a teacher near Houston, who said graduates still raved about it. The teacher who created it, lost everything in a Ponzi scheme. But hey, that's life.
