Classroom Jobs - Classroom Economy Edition

Sorry I am just seeing this! I will get to that this weekend :)

I love being able to help. Actually I initially didn't even have the other stuff with the Job Cards but I decided to in case someone didn't want to purchase the whole classroom economy packet!

Thanks for the questions… Hope these help!

How do you determine their salary?
***There are a few things I take into account when I determine the salary. (1) What are high-interest jobs (2) What jobs require a lot of skill/work (3) What are some easy numbers kids can handle to use for salary amounts. For example, the Janitor is not a high-interest job but it is important and requires work throughout the day so I usually have that on the higher end. The Banker is a high-skill and high-interest job that may not need to be utilized daily, so I usually put that in the middle. The Security Guard and/or Teacher’s Assistant is generally a high-interest job that doesn’t require too much skill so I put that on the lower end. I like to use easy numbers like $10, $15, $20, and $25 a week/month (depending on your preference). This makes it easy to break down the salary amounts by the day (if you do it on a weekly basis.

What is certain students don't buy into this and refuse to do their job?
***Since I let students apply, I hope that most get a job they want to do and I only let them reapply maybe 3 or 4 times a year (to save time and work). If they don’t do their job, I “fire” them and ask if anyone else wants to take on an additional job. I feel the job is a privilege and if they don’t earn it, they don’t get to keep it, and consequently, don’t get paid. They may have a chance to reapply for a job the next time, but I always tell my kids, their day to day actions prove if they are qualified for the jobs. However, my students also earn money for making good choices and earning certain scores. Since they need money to pay rent and tickets, they may need an additional form of income.

We are a PBIS school and give out school falcons for respecting self, others, and property. I would usually pay my students in falcons for completing their jobs, but it was hard to manage. They would then be able to spend falcons on lunch bunch, prize bin, homework pass, etc. How would you recommend using the classroom economy with a school wide behavior program?
***It does get so hard to manage all the different instructional and discipline strategies! I would maybe allow them to trade those in for your classroom economy dollars so it is easier to manage. We have something similar, but for classes instead of individuals. I take the “compliments” (little slips of paper from other teachers saying we are doing a good job) and trade them in for our own class wide reward system instead of having two separate things. Also, I do agree, it is hard to manage classroom stores and stuff like that. This year I plan on having a classroom store open once a month and a big auction at the end of each semester. I will sometimes do a random day where I will sell a snack for “read and feed” or sometimes I will randomly put one or two things up for sale, instead of a whole store.

I also use whole brain teaching. So I am stuck on how to utilize all of this with the current practices I have in place. But I love it and want to use it badly because in 5th grade, students need to know how jobs are related to money and responsibilities in life.
***I’m trying Whole Brain Teaching this year as well. My plan has been to integrate slowly, and not all at once. Starting a new year is overwhelming, so I try to implement small parts of things, especially the classroom economy. I start with just cash, then add on jobs, then a community contract, then tickets, and finally rent.

Do you communicate this to parents? If so how? How do you justify paying " rent" for desk and chair? ( Just thinking about parents) If they don't pay do they not get
to keep it?
*** I have not formally let parents know with a class letter, although I should!! I need to get on that. I do let parents know if it comes up. I justify rent by the fact that adults work for the money they make and they do not just get to spend it on fun stuff. They have bills to pay and if they break the laws or violate agreements, there are tickets or fines. I remember in 6th grade, my teacher had us actually come up with a business to run in the classroom. She charged us rent the first week and gave us the option of paying for all the weeks at once or week by week. The next week, the rent went up. It taught us a little about inflation and saving!

When do they receive credit as opposed to debit?
***Instead of writing paychecks or giving cash you can mark in the credits section and then just add it to your paycheck after a chunk of time. Debits usually happen if they make poor choices, get a ticket for behavior, or need to replace lost/forgotten materials. I use this tracker to put multiple “transactions” together instead of adding it separately in the bank account. I may not even use it this year.

Would I be able to change pencil man to pencil sharpener?
***Sure! What is your email address?
I hope these answers help! Every year I’ve used a classroom economy, I always tweak routines and procedures just a little bit! You’ll find what works in your class as you go 