I should probably let the shul know that I won’t be available to host in a few months... But then again...

May 2019

"Whoa! It really works, Mrs. Shere!” Rolando cried from one corner.

“Told you it would,” I replied with a smile.

Around my classroom, 20 students were diligently testing different recipes for homemade cleaning products. The sounds of mixing and scrubbing filled the space as they measured ingredients, poured them into containers, then tested them in comparison to store-bought cleaners.

“I can’t believe people spend so much money on this stuff when they can just make it,” he replied, then went back to scouring the dark countertop.

“Every student should take this class,” I heard another student mutter to himself. “This is the most practical stuff I’ve learned all year.”

It was the week of Memorial Day, or Week Without Walls, as we dubbed it in the public high school where I taught. Every year, academic classes were canceled during this short holiday week, and instead, students signed up for elective classes taught by the staff. The teachers picked topics important to them and developed their own curriculum; in my hallway alone, there was a class on film production, a soccer refereeing course, and a class on medical history.

I had chosen to teach something near and dear to my heart: personal finance. As the week progressed, my students learned about budgeting, avoiding debt, and paying for college. Today was the last day of the class, and we were learning about living frugally. Naturally, we were making some DIY cleaning products and doing a few other activities, such as designing mock meal plans.

I looked around the room and caught my student Giselle looking at me skeptically.