CHOICES program teaches value of education

The scenario: A teenager has decided to drop out of school to the displeasure of both parents who announce that living at home is no longer an option. The teenager gets a job as a maintenance person in an apartment building at slightly more than minimum wage and receives a first paycheck.

How far will the money go?

Playing different roles, eighth grade students from Gauger Cobbs Middle School soon found out the financial facts of life. With one student acting as the dropout, others took the roles of the tax collector, landlord, grocer and utility bill collector. And the money, which also had to cover transportation and medical costs, disappeared completely.

The classroom program was presented by Shery Netta, coordinator of CHOICES in UD’s Office for School-to-Work. Designed for eighth grade students, CHOICES shows them the value of an education and encourages them to stay in school.

The paycheck exercise was followed by a program on career choices. “What kind of job do you want in your future?” Netta asked. Football player, mechanic, pediatrician, office worker, game designer and engineer were some of the responses.

Netta asked for three volunteers, one each to represent a dropout, a student with a high school education and one who continued beyond high school.

She distributed cards listing careers to each student. All three volunteers qualified for jobs as custodians, taxi drivers and food servers. Other jobs, such as those in the armed services, required high school diplomas, while veterinarians and software developers needed education beyond high school. When the careers cards were distributed, the dropout had three options, the high school graduate had six options, and person who went beyond high school had nine choices.

The program, which also emphasizes responsibility, promptness and getting along with others, ended with each student getting a CHOICES key ring to remind them that the choices they make now can influence their entire lives—which, as Netta pointed out, could be a very long time.

The CHOICES program draws volunteers from UD and from the business community, and more are needed and welcomed, Netta said. The time commitment per year is only six hours, including training and two presentations.

“CHOICES is an effective way of reaching young students, and it is rewarding to watch students understand that education counts for their futures. Through role playing and different exercises that are fun as well as informative, they learn that staying in school is crucial to their later success. The feedback we get from students is positive, and the program makes a difference in the way they look ahead,” Netta said.

Members of the University community interested in becoming CHOICES volunteers and presenting the program to students in area school can attend either of two training sessions, from 4-6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 17, and Wednesday, Jan. 30, in 117, Willard Hall Education Building, with free parking in the Trabant parking garage. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information or to register, call Netta at 831-3102 or send e-mail to [netta@udel.edu].

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