Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 25, 1991 TAG: 9103250158
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But by staying in school and going to college, students' dreams of having a new car are more attainable, Roanoke Assistant City Manager Earl Reynolds told a ninth-grade class at William Fleming High School recently.
His lesson was part of a new program called the Economics of Staying in School, to teach ninth-graders the importance of getting an education.
Reynolds was one of eight people from the community who participated in the pilot program by Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia.
Wearing a suit and tie and shiny black leather shoes, Reynolds was the image of success. "There's got to be a relationship in your thinking about being here [in school] and being successful," he said.
He stood in front of about 25 students and asked them for reasons for dropping out of school. Some said to get a job or because school work is too tough; others said to sell drugs.
Getting a job is one thing, but, "Does your earning power relate to your personal goal?" he asked the students. Reynolds encouraged them to set goals higher than that of working in a fast-food restaurant.
Using a sports car as an example of a personal goal got most everyone's attention. The class frowned and moaned at the thought of paying not only for the car, but for taxes, tags and insurance.
"If you've got Hollywood expectations, you should have a Hollywood job," Reynolds said.
In a role-playing game, the students pretended to be counselors discussing with other students the pros and cons of dropping out of school. Again, selling drugs was mentioned as a way of making money.
"Everyone has an alternative source of income," Reynolds said. But selling drugs is "unreliable and dangerous." The worst thing that can happen flipping hamburgers is getting burned. Selling drugs can end in death, he said.
The project was originally part of a business program that Junior Achievement runs in middle schools. Schools in Washington, D.C., found that the section was successful by itself, though, so the organization decided to give it a try in Roanoke, according to Sandy Harris, education services manager for Junior Achievement.
Young people don't make the connection between dropping out of school and making a living, Reynolds said. "They say, `I will exist,' but they don't know how," he said in an interview after the class.
Reynolds took the opportunity to "plant some seeds" and give the students something to think about.
The classroom setting allowed him to simply talk with the students, he said. "No one talks to them. This society has moved us in a non-communicative direction," with the use of fax machines and voice mail, he said. "But how often do we just talk about our feelings, our ideas?"
Students spent four weeks discussing their options for the future and discovering just what it takes to survive. Some found it much harder than they thought.
"I don't see how people can make it without help" from parents or friends, said Fleming ninth-grader Andrea Campbell.
Campbell, 15, volunteers at Roanoke Community Hospital and wants to go to college to become a registered nurse.
But she didn't always have that goal. Campbell had been making it through school by the "skin of my teeth" and had considered dropping out. "But I've tried to pull myself together."
The section she most enjoyed was learning how to balance a budget. The students first played a board game to establish what they would do whether they dropped out of high school or went to college. Using an income figure that related to their pretend job, the students paid expected living expenses and calculated what kind of home or car they could afford.
Campbell's group had the best budget but still came up $75 short, she said. "Knowing all the obligations: gas, electricity and gas for your car, it's difficult."
Former Roanoke Postmaster Calvin Johnson, who now works with Property Maintenance Corp., told his students that there are certain basic skills needed to get a job. When hiring for office positions, he looks for telephone and typing skills. "Even to work in the post office, you have to pass a test," he said.
Fleming teacher Rand Bowden said getting business people from the community was good for the students. "I can say the same thing, but it doesn't have the same impact," he said. The speakers become role models for the students to look up to, he added.
The program was offered to seven classes at Fleming and one at Patrick Henry in an effort to catch students before they consider dropping out, Harris said.
Teachers and members of Junior Achievement will rate the success of the pilot project and consider continuing it next school year, she said.
by CNB