Reality Check an eye-opener for teens

LIZTON, Ind. (WISH) - At Tri-West High, the future is in the cards.

Business teacher Rodney Farmer runs Reality Check for all underclassmen each fall. Students pick cards that reflect various choices in adulthood – like getting married or staying single. They pick a career, get a salary. Then, they visit various stations where they pay bills like loans, groceries, even unexpected expenses.

It’s a one-day crash course in the price of real life.

“I don’t think kids this age always understand how much their parents have to pay for the things that they get,” Farmer said.

And it’s a rude awakening.

“When they run out of money, that’s when reality sets in,” Farmer said.

A group of Tri-West sophomores who went through program last school year said the lessons stuck with them.

“You may have a plan, but once unexpected things come up, it’s how you deal with that,” Travis Bauer said.

It was a wake-up call, said another student.

“You never really realize how much bills accumulate and how your future job may not cover everything your parents’ jobs cover now.”