This time of year my students are looking weary.
Some put their heads on their desks or sit slumped with vacant looks.
The demands of school and those of their jobs are colliding.
But I found a handy way to both perk up the class discussion and offload their pressure.
“Get rid of your car,” I say.
Whoa! They pop to life, from zombies to zealots.
The car?
“It’s not all that expensive.”
“And we have to get to work!”
They say these things with some defiance.
Now journalists aren’t great at math, but I suggest some car basics.
After all, someone decided this was financial literacy month. Young adults are having trouble making ends meet and planning ahead, says a national task force.
All in, it’s tough to pay for and run a car under $500 per month. Most of my students earn about $12 to $15 per hour at their jobs.
So that’s 33 hours worked just for the car.
And research shows working more than 45 hours a month takes down marks.
“Get rid of the car. Work less!” I propose.
The idea makes some dig in harder.
“The bus takes too long! It takes an hour or two to get here.”
Yes, MRU isn’t on an LRT line. That’s shameful. But buses do appear.
The bus! You’d think we were talking public transit of Congo, not Calgary.
But you could read on the bus, I argue, and you wouldn’t have to work so much.
But work is productive, comes one argument. “Not like sitting on the bus.”
Me: “So you’d rather work more hours than sit on public transit reading your notes or a good book?”
Yes, they would, actually.
About this time, the minority of students who walk or don’t have cars are chipping in.
“It can be done. You don’t need a car. I do it.”
Others whose parents are footing the car bill are silent.
The car defence continues: It’s safer. It’s freedom. We need it.
Freedom. Necessity. Safety. Core values emboided by the car.
Of course, I drive to work. It has nice warm seats, gets me home quick, and I can get my kids to their activities.
Like my students, I want my car.
Sometimes all the financial literacy in the world can’t change that.
