Students learn about money, markets in summer program

Caitlin Johnson was writing away in Moneyville on Tuesday morning.

Johnson wrote in a classroom journal about the lessons she’s learned about money during a four-week enrichment course.

“We learned not to spend all our money on one thing and to save for things we need and not to just buy things we want,” she said.

Johnson, a 10-year-old Highlands Elementary School student, is participating in Troy University Dothan’s Summer Spectacular, a program that gives local elementary and early middle school kids some summer enrichment. Troy University education students teach the classes, gaining valuable classroom experience and lab hours.

Moneyville was the theme of this year’s program. Brittney Layton, program administrator, said the theme allowed teachers to combine lessons in history, art, English and math. Students learned about the history of money, the U.S. Mint, currency exchange and global markets, among other things.

“We didn’t expect the economy to do what it did when we planned this, so it fell in a good spot,” she said.

Troy University education majors participating in the program said it gave them valuable classroom experience.

“This has prepared me for the life of a teacher,” Kristen La Magdeleine said. “Knowing how to prepare lesson plans the day before and improvising when something goes wrong.”

Marcy Carpenter said, “I absolutely love it, it’s been one of the best experiences I’ll have before becoming a teacher.”

The extra summertime activity benefits the elementary and middle school students by keeping them focused on what they learned in school over the summer.

According to the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Summer Learning, students lose about two-and-a-half months of learning over summer vacation, meaning they come back in August knowing less than when they left in May. Summer learning loss forces teachers to reteach students skills they should have already mastered. It also increases the likelihood students will fail a grade.