Did the creator(s) of the Jetsons cartoon come back from the future?

We are coming to the end of the school year in good old Virginia, and this is the time in which teachers and students are basically just shutting down and trying to survive. However, I am such a perfectionist, so I refuse to not make a lesson out of everything...laugh out loud!

Let me start off with saying that I work in a school district in which students drive Benzs, Mustangs, brand new $30,000 trucks and so on, so this is just not your average high school. Yes, we also have students that ride the county bus, and some that family is living paycheck to paycheck trying to make ends meet. I hope you get the complete picture and I didn't confuse you much. Anyway, let me get to the point of this blog. One day in my Economics and Personal Finance class, I was hearing some sort of noise and I couldn't figure out exactly what it was and where it was coming from. I looked at my students for help, and I said, "do y'all hear that noise?". One of the boys in the front of the classroom said, "It's Mike and his shoes". I looked puzzled and said, "His shoes?".

Mike had on the new Nike self laced sneakers. One of my students begin to explain that he controlled the tightness of his laces with his iPhone and he was playing around with lacing and unlacing them, hence the noise. Well, well, I begin to ask more questions, because I was thinking about getting them for my 4 year old son. Then one of the boys in the back shouted, "He paid over $500 for those sneakers". My mouth dropped and I said, "No way." Mike responded, "No, it was close to $500, more like $476 with tax." I was still in shock that this type of technology existed and not only did it exist, how expensive it was.

The Nike Adapt BB shoes are expected to become available in the springtime of 2019 (Credit: Nike)

I quickly begin to use the trusted old Google research system to do some "lesson research". As I am "googling" (I know, I know, it's not an actual word but I am not the only one who say it), I came across this website that I first thought was auctioning off the sneakers, similar to an eBay however with closer research, I found out that this website was actually mimicking the stock market for high end clothing and accessories. The website is called StockX (stockx.com). So I am so intrigued by this website, I begin to make a whole impromptu lesson on it. I put it on the projector, the whole nine yards. I begin to talk about how some sizes of items sold for higher or lower amounts due to the supply and demand. I was really into this lesson, and the website. Then I looked out into my "audience" and noticed that they weren't so into it as I was. So, I ended the lesson and just started to brainstorm how I could add to it for next year, you know create a worksheet, and quiz, the whole thing; yes I am truly one of those teachers.

Now let us fast forward a couple of weeks later. Another CTE teacher is wrapping up her things as I am setting up for my class to start, and I overhear her talking to one of my students. She said to the student that we share, "Yes, I think I am going to place it on eBay and StockX, that's the website you told me about, right?" Morale of the story, they really do be listening, even when they look completely bored and freaking upset that I am talking, they are indeed taking in the information and who knows might share it. Feeling proud...17 days left and counting!