As a Personal Finance teacher, Cindy Schultz is able to give her students the knowledge she wished she had at their age. She has more than 30 years of experience in the education sector, but she never stops learning. Cindy has taken all three of the ASU graduate credit courses for personal finance educators and earned A+s in every one! Read on to learn more about Cindy.

What is one of your earliest money memories?

My earliest memory of money was going to the store to purchase milk or bread for my mom. She would give me a quarter to buy something for myself—yes, you could get something with a quarter back then.

I wanted to be able to buy things for myself, so I got a weekly paper route and babysat. I realized I was doing more than my peers while babysitting, so I asked for a raise to $2.00 an hour as I had to help the children with homework and feed them.

Describe your school and the size, location, and community where it is located. 

Roy C. Start High school has approximately 1200 students in grade 9-12th grade in the Toledo Public Schools District. Start is located in north-western Ohio on the banks of the Maumee River and Lake Erie.

We are a comprehensive high school with vast course offerings and a semester of Personal Financial Management is required for graduation.

How long have you been teaching? And how many of those years have you taught personal Finance? 

Being a well-seasoned veteran in education with over 30 years in various roles, I chose to return to the classroom in 2017.  That's when I started to teach Personal Financial Management. Toledo Public Schools passed the course guarantee before the state requirement goes into effect for 2026 graduates.

What other classes do you teach? And what age are your students?

Being a Family Consumer Sciences educator, I also teach Transitions & Careers to 9-12th grade students. Our district offers Early High School Opportunities (EHSO) to 7th and 8th grade students. Currently, I teach Personal Financial Management and Transitions & Careers to EHSO students. 

What makes you passionate about personal finance education?

I had to support myself starting at 18 and had many struggles. I want to give students the knowledge I wished I had for my younger self.

Working as a cosmetologist until my first teaching job made me aware working on commission was not always a reliable paycheck. This taught me to save and plan ahead so when my paychecks were minimal, I could cover my financial responsibilities.   

What do you like about NGPF PD? And what have been some of your favorite classes or topics? 

I find value in each and every Virtual PD (including new office hours), On-Demand module, Certification Course and Virtual Conference I have experienced.  The Speaker Series events on Thursday nights are my weekly go-to. They keep me up-to-date on current trends.

PD leaders acknowledge how valuable we are as educators. This is needed as we face challenges in our classrooms. 

My favorite certification course was Behavioral Economics. I have always been aware of some of the “gimmicks” that retailers and financial institutions try to lure the consumer in, but the digital world is acting faster and faster to grab consumer dollars. 

The Ohio FinCamps exceeded my expectations! The collaboration with other educators is always valuable. The FinCamp activities allow us to experience NGPF as our students would. We then put on our teacher cap and share thoughts, suggestions, and a variety of ways to do the lessons. 

What was your experience in the ASU graduate course program? How has the class helped you?

First I want to say THANK YOU for the generous scholarships for these courses. The courses were designed to allow the pace to be my own. That made it easier and less stressful for me to complete them along with my teaching.

I also found it valuable to share with my Transitions & Careers class how a college course works along with the syllabus, course content, my notes, course pacing, and how I organized myself. I was proud to show them the A+’s I earned in all 3 of the courses!  

In regards to my personal life, it helped my husband and I have conversations and analyze our financial future with the latest research.  

My Personal Financial Management students benefited from me having a deeper understanding of the psychology of money, investing and the ever-changing technology.

What are your favorite topics to teach? And activities to use?

My favorite subject to teach is budgeting as it allows for some deep discussion on what are wants and needs. Cell phones and streaming services are a large part of a budget these days compared to utilities. Students want to have it all and this is understandable. When they realize what it all costs, they may find some other alternatives or do without.

The Bean game is one of the students' favorites. I printed the bean game in color with large cardstock and then the student designed the back with graffiti in regards to financial literacy along with a few money stickers and splashes of color. These were then laminated and can be used semester after semester.  I do offer paper copies of the Bean game for students to take home along with a bag of beans. 

Can you provide an example of how a lesson taught in class helped a student and/or someone in their family make a better money decision?

Shady Sam is the most popular interactive with my students. They tell me they pass on their learnings to family members so that, in turn, they can save money by paying more than the required monthly minimum payment that they owe on any bill.  

Making the connection to home is very important. I mail a newsletter and post in Google classroom at the beginning of the course to share information about the course, myself, guest speakers, quotes from a teacher or two and other information.

Do you hear from past students? If so, what do they say about having taken your class?

Past students will visit me when they are buying a car or have received their first paycheck. They want to make sure they make the correct decisions for their financial future.  

In my end course evaluation, I asked students: What is one aspect of this class you feel was particularly valuable to you?  

Some of their responses: 

• Learning how to keep good credit for my future.
• Everything because I will be using these skills soon.
• How to pay for college and the difference between credit and debit.

How has being part of the NGPF network helped you personally? Professionally?

Sharing the content I am teaching with my own children has made them more aware of how they can financially have control of their financial future. They have seen my husband and I be conservative with our spending on unnecessary things, but we have taken some amazing vacations and look forward to many more.

Networking with NGPF has given me an abundance of contacts to rely on if I am struggling or want suggestions on how to implement a lesson or what resources they have found success with. The blog posts and daily emails have given me a vast amount of available information to use when developing lessons.  

What advice do you have for other personal finance teachers? 

Get involved with NGPF, professional organizations, and take advantage of opportunities to get involved with your students beyond the classroom. Find time for self care and reflect on your teaching. I have also found it to be beneficial to have my students give me feedback on what they like in class and what they would like me to improve.

Using members on our department advisory committee makes real world connections. It keeps me current on business practices and guest speakers for my classroom. Additionally, the students gain knowledge from another perspective or voice and a resource they can use in the future.  

About the Authors

Hannah Rael

As NGPF's Marketing Communications Manager, Hannah (she/her) helps spread the word about NGPF's mission to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.

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