Okay, so I’ve created somewhat of a monster. Who knew that inside most of my students lurked this little, greedy capitalist pig, waiting to get out and eat from the corporate trough?
Recently, I asked my students to write down what they wished they had learned in high school. An overwhelming response was about markets, money, taxes–that real world stuff that they know is out there, but don’t really know how to access that well. With that in mind, I started a stock market game where students got 100K and could buy and sell what they wanted. It will run for two months.
A couple of things have been nice to see. They’ve asked a lot of questions of me and their peers. Girls have been just as involved as guys, which I’m not sure is the norm in the real world, but they are holding their own here. I also like a little trash talking, but it’s early in the game so their insults are at a minimum (plus, they’re pretty good kids).
A couple of things, though, are a little unhealthy. One of my better students now spends hours figuring out how she can conquer this game, and the market. She even shakes her head at herself. Others are greedy and want to sell sell sell, then buy buy buy, but I’ve tried to instill in them some patience, which has had mixed results.
All that written, they are probably a pretty good representation of the actual stock market. People are greedy. Some don’t know what they’re doing. Others panic. Luckily for my students, it’s fake money.
They have been happy and alert and interested, though. It’s been fun for many. Need I write anything more about that?https://youtu.be/mDnJh6gAhm0