A recent FinLit Fanatics post asked teachers to reflect on the school year and highlight examples of the power of personal finance education. So many great examples! 

• "Hands down this year a student who has been disengaged for most of his educational experience. He joined my class & one day I talked longer than usual about choices around income and careers. He stayed engaged through the whole lesson and asked to stay after school that day to get caught up. The next day he came in with every missing assignment done and started making lists for all his classes. I asked why the sudden change. He said “all my life I figured things would just work out for me, but after your class the other day, I realize I have to start working for what I want.” Since we have moved to remote learning he has sent thank you emails as we cover topics like insurance and joined my investing class TWICE, after playing STAX all night. He has turned in the highest quality work even through remote learning and gives me something to look forward to every week. I never thought the impact of a single lesson could change a student’s life, but now I see that it’s possible." [Courtney Poquette]

• "I work in a prison. I had several students tell me they are going to stop spending money on "wants" at the canteen (commissary) and start saving to have money when they are paroled. They said they realized through learning how to budget that they didn't really "need" those things!" [Laura Edie]

• "I had my students write end-of-the-year essays. I was surprised how many said that they would go home regularly and talk with their parents about what we learned that day in class. Some admitted to knowing more than their parents did at times. So many students also said that Financial Math (Texas) should be a required course for all. Of course, we already knew that!"[Brenda Kingrey Bourque]

• "I have a parent who asked me to send a copy of my weekly online learning overviews. After the 4th week she sent an email that simply stated “I’m really impressed with this class Morgan is taking.” That just made this whole move to online learning feel so worthwhile." [Sophie Mete]

• "I have a senior who was interested in plumbing. I saw an ad in our newspaper about an apprenticeship at a union and brought it to class. We had already discussed apprenticeships as an option, along with other post-secondary options. He talked to me after class and said he was interested in applying. We printed him off some of his resumes he did in class and some of his reference sheets, too. He made an appointment for an interview and he told me what he was going to wear based on what we discussed in class. I gave him one of my late husband’s portfolios to put his papers in. This was right before we had to leave school due to the virus, so I didn’t find out if he got the apprenticeship or not. I sure hope so! But he said before we left that he would never have been as prepared to go to an interview if he hadn’t had the class, and never would have known about apprenticeships, so that really made me feel my class is just what our seniors need to take!" [Kristy Courter Nickolisen]

• "One of my students (a senior) signed up to take a summer class for entering college students. She went to see her advisor and as they were going over the expectations and cost, she remembered something I said in class. The essence was call the finance office and ask what else they can give you because the worst thing they can do is say no. She asked the advisor if there was any financial aid for the class. There was. The advisor said no one had asked in 3 years and asked the student to thank me for planting that seed in her mind. The class and book was then paid in full at no cost to the student." [Linda Wenndt]

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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