I volunteered to help at Junior Acheivement Biz Town today. Well, I'm not sure if it's really considered volunteering when a friend begs and pleads with you until you say yes. Whatever, I was there. I also helped with Biz Town last year. I remember walking away then muttering "never again" but memories fade after a year, It wasn't a bad experience today, just exhausting. 144 fifth and fourth graders milling around, some with purpose, some aimlessly, create a lot of noise and confusion without even trying. I did think it was interesting that much more of the process was done with computers and tablets than last year, and, as part of the shopping experience, the students were given debit cards to use for most of their shopping. I was helping in the bank and was impressed especially with my tellers who quickly learned to enter account numbers and give citizens their spending money. One teller was having so much fun that she told me she wants to be a teller when she grows up. And that, I think, is the positive magic of Biz Town. Student citizens go away with some understanding of commerce, finance and possible future careers. I guess that makes it all worth it.
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