What Were They Thinking?
Last week, a national organization that devotes its energies to teaching kids about money came to my school. The teachers at the school were quite excited, because financial experts were coming to teach the kids about money. I know what you’re thinking – ‘But, Steve, you’re an expert on financial literacy, why don’t you teach it?” Simply put, sometimes the kids (and teachers) will listen to outside experts, rather than the one that works in the building.
Teachers had been polled last year about bringing this organization into the school. I suggested very strongly, that even though the organization teaches about financial literacy, their program might not be appropriate for junior high students (I had heard from an accountant that the program was more appropriate for high school students). The other teachers didn’t listen and voted to bring the program in.
I sat in on one of the sessions. The presenter talked to the kids about needs and wants – a concept that every financially literate individual must understand. The kids were quite involved in this lesson. They ended up having a great discussion about when a want becomes a need. Unfortunately, I could only partake in the lesson for a few minutes. As I was leaving, the presenter started talking about interest rates; I wondered if the kids would be able to grasp the concept. Little did I realize, that later in the day, the kids would let me know what they thought about that lesson.
That afternoon, I had a class of grade 8 students that had participated in the sessions. I was curious to find out what they thought of the program. One student said it best: “It really wasn’t relevant to our lives. At one point the presenter talked about ‘zero down, zero interest, and zero payments for 12 months’. What does that have to do with teenagers?” The student hit the nail on the head – lessons have to be relevant to the student. Obviously, the organization had forgotten one of the most important rules of teaching – know your audience.
What topics do you think should be covered in financial literacy courses for the following groups: junior high kids, senior high kids, and university/college students? What should elementary school kids be taught about money? Let me know what you think by leaving your comments in the comment box below.
My two cents…
