Some teachMany teachers use a token economy. Their students gain chips, tickets, or teacher bucks. But, why not add an exciting twist by using real money for your token economy? This not only gives your students tangible skills, but dkjflkdjfljdflkjdlkfjlsdkjfl;kjsdl;k
Behavior Issues Today
Whether behavior issues are truly getting worse, or becoming more prevalent, can be debated for months. Either way, we all agree we have a problem. Kids come to school with more anxiety, more learning issues, and more trauma. Each of these issues bring stress into the learning day. !
Staffing Problems
There is presently a teacher shortage all across the country. 85% of schools report unfilled or underfilled positions. Teacher burnout is at an all-time high. 35% of teachers plan to quit in the next 2 years. Because of this, teacher support staff are at an all-time low. They just cannot cover the IEP kids.
Why a Token Economy?
Many states have taken money objectives out of the math curriculum. A token economy will cover money skills and economics while having the monumental benefit of behavior management. You could not ask for more from one system!
Students Buy in with Real Coins
Would you come to work if you didn’t get paid? Me neither. Using real coins makes students feel official. They see the job they do each day as authentic when they get real money. Plus, plastic money costs more to use.
Starting with pennies and working up to dollars gives the students enough experience to master change. Each week, they work on:
- skip-counting
- making change
- place value
- addition
- subtraction
Economics in Action
It was very interesting how the same spending behaviors would show up each year. Some kids wanted to save their money. They just liked the idea of having more coins. Some kids wanted to keep spending until every coin was spent.
When it came time to study Spending and Saving during Social Studies, it was a breeze. The students had hands-on experience to draw from. Short term plans were made when kids would try to get enough money to buy something in the store that caught their eye. At the end of the year, I had the kids save 100 dollars for our week-long camp. We made a long-term savings plan and started saving for camp after Christmas break.
Behavior Management
Students today need to have a choice and a voice in their academic day. More times than not, problem behavior is about feeling out of control, and trying to get some back. Implementing a behavior system where each child is in charge of his own day makes a world of difference.
For my lower kids, I would often put a coin for each problem right on their table. They needed the extra incentive. If my higher kids did extra work, I would pay them extra. In August I would pay the table double if they used quiet voices while working. For journals, I would pay per sentence. Every year, I had students who wanted to donate money to kids with a low account. What community spirit!
Setting It Up
I got a cash box with a big change drawer in it. I took all my husband’s change, but you can have kids all bring coins. You decide the pay rate. I started with pennies, then dimes. I would pay quarters for big milestones.
I set up my cash box behind my desk. The students would “pay themselves” right after turning in work, or completing the activity.
The Magic of Fun Friday
First thing Friday morning, students would dump their coin bag out and start stacking in tens. I get out the “bank” and sing “ten pennies make a dime”. Anyone who had ten pennies would line up and come to my table to one of the 3 counting templates. I would give them a dime, and they would start again. We would continue on to counting by 10s to a dollar, etc.
You don’t need to break your budget, buying a bunch of stuff to give your kids. I go to garage sales. I don’t pay more than 25 cents. You won’t believe what you can get for a dime! There are many things they can “rent” for the day that your students will love:
- a desk buddy stuffed animal
- a special chair
- using a pen on all work that day
- a new sharpened pencil
- comic books for read-to-self time
- sensory toys or fidgets
The possibilities are endless! My kids loved these more than the toy box. In the beginning, most prices were low, so the students could afford what they wanted. I always had a few high priced items for the savers. Parents would often send in individually wrapped snacks for purchase. The students became t proud of themselves and the work they did.
If you would like to check out a couple of my economic resources on money, click on one of these covers.
IF you like this article, and want to read more, go here.
I hope you found a pearl that you can use! I hope you consider employing a token economy using money in your classroom. You will love it as much as I do!
Happy Teaching!!
