Worth and/or Value

Every once in a while, I assign a creative-writing, warm-up task to my students: How can a quarter have more worth and/or value than a dollar? From K-12, the faces all look the same--puzzled. I realized a while ago that not all young people have the analytical and inquisitively-existential mind I did and still do--well....with what's left! Isn't that what a more affective teacher tries to do? Stimulate, motivate, inspire, model..etc...; however, the truth is that I do these types of things to keep from going insane and complacent in my own learning--maintaining a zest for life.

Even the most 'financially-challenged' of us have been able to (one way or another) relate to money, and the 'what's' and 'how's' of its usage and power. Before I discuss the students answers, I lead-in with a few examples from my youth about what one could purchase with just one penny. ( Not to mention all the coins over the years smart-ass students threw at me while I was only a substitute, of which I would always pick up around them--in my usual didactic manner)So, when I found a penny, or any change for that matter, it was a special moment. Growing -up poor in a well-to-do area was difficult and often embarrassing. However, I lived and learned how to value what was available, and assigned my own sense of worth to things. Not much came to us, we had to go out in search by ourselves--more often in a group of the neighborhood friends. Money mistakenly left in vending machines and telephone booths was one of our first sources of 'income'--not an allowance. I remember the first time my siblings and I pooled our money together to get a 'Hamburger Platter' at the local Milk Shed. We always walked by this downtown place(which we had no business being there at such young ages). We had years of experience just admiring and savoring just the smells of foods that we had little or no access. One of our bus stops was at the Pizza Mia, and the smell of the food was worth the bumpy bus ride home. Back then, bread was left in front of the store before opening, and my friends would help themselves--not to eat , but to toss the round pita around like a Frisbee. If they weren't looking I would eat a piece, and it still tasted wonderful. Finding and returning soda bottles was another 'found-treasure' in those days. Around a mile away, I would love to visit 'The Dump'. Man, the things we would find; however, bringing the stuff home would make my proud parents upset. Their excuse was that the stuff was dirty and diseased, but their cigarettes and scotch were fine. At least our stuff was free! We could buy so much for so little back then. This was a post-war time when money was backed with gold and silver, and people still had a conscience about producing products of quality. The stories change somewhat over the generations (prior and since), but in proportion they mean much the same. A quarter in the 50's was worth more than a dollar in the 90's-even considering things like: the GNP, inflation, minimum-wage, and cost-of-living. A quarter at the dollar store has a distinct possibility of being worth more than what a dollar gets at a mall shop. Our discussions always reveal a new angel of thought--and that is worth a great deal to me, and I value the experiences much the same as my childhood memories relating to much the same resourcefulness, adventures, and relationships. I still treasure a hamburger platter the most, because it is usually the best value, more so because its taste always reminds me that 'worth and value' don't necessarily equate to just matters of money; however, I still count my change.