Reality Day |
What is Reality Day?
It is a fun, interactive financial literacy simulation for all high school juniors to learn the “realities” of life after high school or college.
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How does it work?
All 11th-grade students will complete a career cluster survey and identify a potential occupational area they may be interested in pursuing in their future. After completing an application form, business people evaluate their application to determine an occupation and “life status.” Local businesses provide real-life product, service, and cost information and staff the reality day “stations” (housing, groceries, debit/savings accounts, etc.).
Students are assigned a future occupation and “life status” (with a personal financial profile) based on their career area of interest and the completion of their application form. The Reality Day career and life status assumes an age range from 28 to 30 years old.
Students navigate through the Reality Day stations and manage their personal financial resources to pay for one month of life’s necessities while making choices about what additional products and services to purchase.
How does the program impact students?
As a result of Reality Day, students:
- Learn why financial planning skills, goal setting, and decision-making are so important to their futures.
- Learn the relevance of what has been taught in school, and the impact financial literacy has on their lives.
- Examine their attitudes and understanding about career choices, earning potential, job satisfaction, and the role of those concepts in attaining a quality of life.
- Interact with DeForest area business people, community members, teachers, support staff, and administrators.
- Work with other students, school staff, and the business community in an action-oriented setting that has the power to change student perceptions about their future.
Quick overview of the process:
- Students use a checklist to document their station visits and purchases
- Students visit every station (volunteers initial each student's checklist to verify their visit) where purchases may be required or optional
- As students approach each station, volunteers answer questions and help them make wise decisions based on their "life status"
- There is an SOS station for those students who need additional assistance. (All students' goal: to leave the Reality Day event with $0-$200 left in their checking account)
- "Fate Cards," "Police Tickets," and "Health Alerts" randomly present circumstances for students to deal with
Questions? Contact Austin Hofer, CTE Coordinator, at (608) 842-6619
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