Unemployment is up with many businesses closed, but not for these 8-year old students at Chester M. Stephens Elementary School in Budd Lake.
All jobs are essential for these 115 students in five second grade classes at CMS, who have been working in jobs for a favorite school program called Kidsville. The hands-on-experience that engages students in a realistic community started last week and will continue for the next two weeks.
Through the program, students are working in real-to-life jobs and learning many life lessons.
“There are a ton of lessons throughout the program,” says Ann M. Scotland, second grade teacher. “Students will learn new vocabulary, the management of specific jobs, balancing their money, having clarity of how their academics are meant for living, and possibly even having a new appreciation of their parent’s adult responsibilities.”
Scotland brought back the program to CMS just last year after the school did not offer it for about 12 years. When the Kindness Tour began, it was too much to offer both programs.
Kidsville is a mock community that the students participate in, providing each an opportunity to work at different jobs. Scotland decided to offer it this year, as well, despite the distance learning.
“The 2nd grade social studies curriculum has our students learning about working and sharing in a community,” says Scotland. “The boys and girls learn about jobs that are making goods or providing a service. They learn about having a salary and using their money for needs vs. wants. In addition, they learn about taxes and how the care of the community is shared among its members.
“After last week’s virtual lessons that highlighted all of the above, we felt it was time to offer a hands-on experience that could further their understanding,” says Scotland. “It was a great opportunity to move away from their screens and put some of their learning into action. This realistic community offers clarity to our day-to-day living and the responsibilities that are needed.”
For the Kidsville Launch, students reviewed slides and had to pick their type of employment by reading each job description, earn an income and pay taxes.
“In the slides are a bunch of suggested jobs,” says Scotland. Some jobs include social worker, landscaper, teacher, cook, engineer, housekeeping, reporter, hairdresser, librarian, weather person, musician. They were given job responsibilities and descriptions for each job.
For a landscaper, for example, students are directed to: “Work out in your yard. Help mom and dad pull weeds. Plant flowers. Make signs for your garden. Water plants in your home and outside.”
For a teacher: “Help your younger brother or sister with their schooling. Read to them. Create a Flipgrid and teach a classmate about something that you are good at. Make an anchor chart about something you are good at. Use text and graphic features.”
For a cook: “Help mommy and daddy with meals. Set the table. Make a fun dessert with mom/dad. Create a Flipgrid of how to keep your kitchen healthy as you cook. Share favorite recipes.”
For a hairdresser: “Style a family member’s hair. Brush it and create a new do each day. You could braid it, put it in a ponytail, give it spikes, put a pretty bow or headband in. Take a picture of the final outcome.”
“They could come up with additional “career paths” if their bosses (parents) agree,” says Scotland. “They needed to work at a specific job in their three-day work-week for 30 minutes; we have social studies three days. Workers needed to stay with the same job for the entire week. They could switch career paths (encouraged to because they can experience more than one type of job) the next week. Kidsville will run for three weeks. So our workers will experience three jobs.
“We had Google Meet Launch with students and parents to set everything into motion,” she explains. “We will have a closing of Kidsville with a dialogue that can reflect on the experience. We will also have a “ticket out” that the children will offer a written reflection.”
Each week students get paid a salary with payday every Friday. Students will earn $2 for the week; with 50 cents taken out to pay taxes, mortgage/rent, clothing and groceries. Students will be left with $1.50 to spend on wants with a choice of options offered at the Kidsville General Store in which kids can decide what to spend their money on or whether to save it. Some of these wants include: Snacks, crafts, video-game time, facetime with a friend, dinner choice, game night, staying up later and even movie night.
The parents serve as the bosses, adds Scotland.
“They have to agree on what job will take place for the week,” she says. “They are also the “bankers,” paying their students their $2 weekly salary. “The parent will monitor the balancing of their little workers debit card. The parents will also make sure the worker pays his/her needs for the week.”
Even if this lesson is brought to these students virtually, they are learning so much.
“Whenever you can have the students experience his/her learning, the imprint is huge,” says Scotland. “They have to be responsible and carry out their duties. Students are asked to keep in mind the skills that are required for the job they are doing. The open-ended question of what academics keep showing up as you work is presented to them. Do they see reading, math, writing, technology, collaboration? We want them to make the connection of how their schooling has purpose beyond the school walls.
“In addition, they are learning how to balance their money,” says Scotland. “This entire experience mimics adult decisions of balancing needs vs. wants and the sacrifices that are sometimes required for bills to be paid. The vocabulary comes into focus for them.”
The community has also been quite supportive, notes Scotland.
“As the first week of our community has begun, we have had a variety of professions open their doors,” she says. “We have had students become landscapers, engineers, beauticians, security guards, chefs and meteorologists. In truth, they have embraced this experience full force and have gone way beyond our expectations. I think they enjoy having choice, movement and time to be creative.”
With the effects of COVID-19 surrounding the students, Scotland says there was not a need to make the pandemic a focus to this year’s lesson.
“We haven’t highlighted COVID-19,” says Scotland. “We have talked about the purpose of their jobs and its value but not connecting it to the current event of COVID-19. They recognize the specific jobs that need or require certain types of clothing. Some have dressed the part perfectly.
“The real-life experience of this pandemic surrounds them daily,” says Scotland. “They are living this reality and are becoming experts at how to handle social distancing. The boys and girls have faced the truths of this pandemic by not seeing their friends, missing recreational activities, missing extended family, not being able to attend school physically. Some have parents that are essential workers and see first-hand the toll it can take. During our Virtual Kindness Tour we extended our love to those individuals. Kidsville was a time to offer them some “normalcy,” even if it was the old normal.”
With still one more week of Kidsville to go, students and parents are enjoying their tasks at hand.
“The feedback has been positive,” says Scotland. “The parents were ready to play their role and the students were excited to get to work. During our google meet you could hear the excitement as the kids started to chat about what work force they were going to join. The enthusiasm continued into this week as the jobs started to take form. We have a second grade Kidsville Classroom and the comments, pictures, and Flipgrids have been amazing. It is our hope that the dialogue will continue, and we will hear all that they have learned from the experience.”
The teachers are pleased with the excitement and energy carried out by their little workers.
“We are excited about how motivating this has been for many of our students,” says Scotland. “They are connecting through their participation and enthusiasm for the program. Being able to network as a school family despite being in our homes is a gift.”