LIBERTY, MO—In a humorous classroom exercise, local first-grade teacher Brianna Montgomery engaged her students with a playful question inspired by a picture book about a coal-mining puppy. She asked, 'What do you want to be when child labor laws are repealed?' The classroom buzzed with excitement as children dreamed up roles like 'fish processor' and 'farm laborer.' Montgomery encouraged them by suggesting jobs that aligned with their interests, like working at a semiconductor plant for video game enthusiasts or picking blueberries for nature lovers. Despite the whimsical nature of the exercise, students also practiced calculating how many hours of subminimum wage work it would take to earn $100, adding a dash of realism to their playful ambitions.