Teens Get Their Money's Worth; Civics Teacher Uses Investment Game to Introduce Students to Economics
Jeffrey M. Dunn's strategy just resulted in a 41 percent profit in 10 weeks: Pick some relatively cheap stocks on the rise, then buy all the shares you can, even relying on brokerage loans, also known as buying on margin.</br></br>Dunn is an eighth-grade civics teacher at Mercer Middle School in South Riding, and part of Virginia's civics curriculum introduces students to economics: supply and demand, inflation, the impact of monetary policy.</br></br>Dry stuff, to be sure, so Dunn, like hundreds of teachers across the state, helps get these points across through the Stock Market Game, held once in the fall and once in the spring.</br></br>Students start out with $100,000 in pretend money and almost the entire universe of stocks to choose from. They can buy another $100,000 worth on margin and even sell stocks short -- that is, bet on their falling in price.</br></br>The team of students with the most money after 10 weeks wins not only bragging rights and a trophy but also savings bonds and a trip to Richmond for an awards luncheon. (The Washington Post and PNC Bank co-sponsor the game in the Washington area.)