Teachers provide students with the necessary skills and education to serve them in adulthood. For one teacher, that means introducing them to the office environment as early as possible.
While appearing on the Teachers Off Duty podcast, high school teacher Leslie Robinson broke down how she treats her Family and Consumer Sciences (previously known as “Home Ec”) classroom “like it’s an office building.”
“Each desk simulates a cubicle so each student is like, working in a corporate office — their desk, their office, their business. If they’re listening to music, if they’re on their phone, if they are eating their snacks — that’s your office. As long as your office is clean when you leave, that is your responsibility,” she explained.
However, if any choice affects a student's "productivity," Robinson will note that on her "job assessment,” and it will affect a student's “job score” and “paycheck,” aka their grade, which Robinson updates on a biweekly basis.
In addition, students “clock in” and “clock out,” and even accrue “PTO” on a points system—An A gets 15 PTO, a B gets 10, and so on—which also affects their grade every two weeks, and comes in handy if a student is in need of a break.
At this point, the podcast hosts wondered how Robinson could possibly keep track of all that. To which Robinson said, “I don’t…I write it on a slip of paper in cursive, because they can’t duplicate my handwriting, and then they have to keep it, just like they keep their dollar bills. If you go to a store., and you lost your dollars, I can’t pay you..”
Across TikTok and Instagram, where the clip was shared, opinions were mixed. On the one hand, some viewers were concerned that it more or less churned out more employees for the corporate workforce.
“This is just indoctrination to Corporate America. Gross.”
“Immediately no. This is fast tracking to an employee mindset and fueling the status quo. There’s creativity in the behavioral process, sure. However, the mindset here is limiting.”“I understand her perspective, but she’s essentially training these kids to be employees rather than employers and entrepreneurs.”
“This is smart but also kind of sad.”
Another person pointed out that this approach reflects a culture that is quickly being dismantled.
“Not gonna lie… I hate this. lol! I hate the idea of teaching kids 9 to 5 clock in clock out culture. Particularly because the world is rapidly changing. The jobs we see emerging now don’t follow that. A better analogy would be running a business to teach self motivation and entrepreneurial thinking because those are the skills kids will need.”
Still, others found the idea to be incredibly creative, fun, and incredibly relevant.
“You are showing life skills.”
“This teaches you to show up on time. How to complete tasks, how to follow rules and instructions, teaches you responsibility by not losing the ticket and much more but also freedom to use your time wisely [and] say if you are having a bad day. I think this is a system that should be used more.”
“The way I would’ve had straight As if my classes had been run this way. Music, snacks, and works at my own pace. The one time
“I totally love this concept!! Talk about a real world connection 👏👏👏”
Whether or not you jive with Robinson’s exact approach, it’s hard not to agree that students need more than just academic learning. They need to learn crucial adulting skills as well. And the opportunity of putting it in a classroom setting is that learning these skills can be far more enjoyable that learning them the hard way later in life. Thank goodness we have teachers lie Robsinon who even attempt unique strategies in order to get their students entering adulthood with as much savviness as humanly possible.
Catch the full Teacher Off Duty episode below:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Jake Johnson Fox GIF by New Girl