Fall 2018
September 25, 2018
How long have you been teaching financial education?
Five years
Why do you teach financial education?
I teach students financial education because I do not want them to make the same mistakes that I made handling money. When I went to high school, I wished that there was a course that taught me how to budget and the differences between a bank and a currency exchange. I truly believe that the more our students know, the better decisions they will make.
How is this different from other courses you have taught?
Students can apply everything they are learning in this course to the real world. In most cases, they can start applying it now. This course gets conversations going and not just in my classroom. I have parents at report card pick-up telling me that their children come home and tell them what they are learning. I have parents asking for advice. Students keep saying that this is one of their favorite classes.
What do students like most about the course?
Students really like the projects. They like hearing stories that I have added about financial decisions. They really like making a budget and seeing what colleges they can afford.
How does your school fit a single-semester course into their curriculum.
We usually teach financial education during the second half of the year after Civics. But I teach a senior IB class, so it goes right in the middle of the class.
Were there any challenges to implementing?
If you follow the curriculum, there really are no problems. The curriculum is exciting and students are fully engaged.
Do you have any implementation tips or successes that you want to share with others?
Push your students to think outside the box. Let class conversations naturally happen. And give students time to process the material.