Students in Mrs. Taibi’s self-contained class at Aquebogue Elementary School have created their own school store where at the end of each day, students complete their classroom jobs, fill out “timesheets” and get paid classroom cash for their work.
Students are responsible for keeping track of their money earned and counting it at the end of the week. Every Friday, students operate the school store where they can buy toys to keep that range from $4 to $20. As part of their study into money, students must explore the decisions of possibly buying a smaller item that day or saving their money for a few weeks to buy a more expensive item.
Through their work in their classroom store, students build their social skills by playing different roles in the store, such as the store clerk. “It has been really great to see the students become more independent, responsible and save their money,” Mrs. Taibi said.