A teacher educating his class on paying bills has been both praised and condemned.
Mr. Vương, a Washington teacher, has invented a system that educates his students on paying taxes and rent, covering mortgages, and even saving money for treasures.
While many laud the teacher for introducing children to the responsibilities they will inevitably have when they grow up in such an interactive way, others believe kids should not be learning about capitalism at such an early age.
As Unilad reports, Mr. Vương recently posted a TikTok video explaining the idea behind the “brain bucks” and his “token economy system.”
In the one-minute-long clip, the teacher says:
“Today is the last Friday of the month, and guess what time that is. Rent day.
They get one brain buck for all the days that they’re in school, and then they can earn extra brain bucks throughout the week for things like being responsible, contributing to discussion… and on the last Friday of the month, you gotta pay rent.”
Afterward, the teacher displays what a typical check from a student looks like. It shows that the rent for a desk costs 15 brain bucks.
In case the kids manage to save some of their brain bucks, they get to spend it on a “treasure chest” filled with toys. And if they save even more, they can purchase something from the “Vuongmazon” account.
Mr. Vương adds:
“At the end, they add three bucks to the total for the tax.”
@teamvuong #Capitalism but… #teachersoftiktok #teachersfollowteachers #teachertip #realworldproblems #tokeneconomy #payrent #elementary #reallifeskills
What’s more, according to the token economy system, the children have the option to pay off their desks for 75 brain bucks. If they do so, they won’t need to pay rent anymore.
The teacher notes that the first time the students experienced what it feels like to lose money gave them a “reality check” and made them empathize with their parents, who pay bills all the time.
The now-viral TikTok video that breaks down the brain bucks system has been seen over 3.4 million times by the time of writing. According to some viewers, Mr. Vương is doing a great job teaching children basic life skills. One commented:
“Not the people complaining about a teacher trying to teach kids responsibility and budget management! Valuable life skill here.”
In the meantime, others disagree with the teacher’s methods. Some have noted that his policy is not favorable for children who can’t attend school due to disabilities or other family issues.
One user wrote:
“I’d find it hard to believe if a teacher such as yourself wouldn’t take into account if a student was chronically ill and make arrangements for them to still be on par with the rest of the class.”
In the following video, Mr. Vương clarifies that if the kids cannot attend school due to circumstances that are beyond their control, he would definitely make an exception and deprioritize the system.
@teamvuong Reply to @mommerz_sch #teachersoftiktok #teachersfollowteachers #financialliteracy #budgeting #tokeneconomy #teachertip #positivereinforcement #payrent #elementary #realworldproblems #reallifeskills
What do you think of Mr. Vương’s token economy system? Do you agree that children need to be taught how to pay bills? Let us know in the comment section!
