I always have my ear to the ground about creative ways that teachers are engaging students in the study of personal finance. Thanks to Joel Chrisler of Sauk Prairie High School in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin for coming on the podcast to discuss the engaging program he built in his community. His program sends high school students into the neighboring elementary schools to teach them core financial concepts including needs and wants, making choices and saving. Joel makes an impassioned case for the value derived by all involved; the high school students, the elementary school students and the overall community.

You will hear Joel answer such questions as:

• What motivated him to start his peer-to-peer program?
• What are the key lessons he wants to impart to young people through this program?
• How does it measure the success of the program?
• Why should other teachers consider starting a program like this?

Details:

• 0:00~1:08 – Intro
• 1:08~3:53 – Background
• 3:53~4:57 – Tailoring his personal finance course to his community
• 4:57~17:51 – Details on his peer to peer financial literacy program
• 17:51~19:50 – Benefits of the peer to peer program
• 19:50~20:59 – Goals of Joel’s radio show
• 20:59~22:54 – On working with the school district to make personal finance a graduation requirement
• 22:54~23:58 – Thoughts on online curriculums
• 23:58~26:01 – How can teachers develop their curriculum
• 26:01~26:58 – Conclusion

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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