When I first started teaching, I wanted a way to give my students a better understanding of how the world works, so I created an opportunity to infuse a little bit of economics into the classroom setting. The basic idea of the management system is that students each have a classroom job, earn classroom cash based on their job duties or for other contributions to our classroom society, and have the opportunity to spend their cash on things they want.

Just like in the real-world, the system includes different jobs with different pay structures: nine-week jobs and weekly jobs. Nine-week jobs require students to complete an application and interview for a position. They pay weekly for nine weeks and the salary is a great deal more than for the weekly jobs.

During the first week of school, I introduce the system and offer the students an opportunity to apply for a nine-week job. (I usually ask each student to find some way they can contribute to our classroom and encourage the students to apply for at least one job.) Then, I review each application and ask follow-up questions to determine which students are the best fit for each nine-week job. After the initial selections are made, I even do some on-the-job training with each student before setting them loose with their job responsibilities.

With their weekly earnings, students have the opportunity to make a purchase, a coupon for a reward of some type or a treasure box pick, or save them for later. After nine-weeks, I offer students another opportunity to apply for a nine-week job. As much as possible, I try to ensure each student get a nine-week job at least once during the school year.

Want to know more about the system? Read the full blog post here!