by Tricia
When I went to high school, there were no classes offered on personal finance. There wasn’t even a class that touched on the subject. But I sure wish there was!
I think schools now-a-days are too concerned about “book smarts” and less concerned about “street smarts”. You know, tools on how to live your life. I think back and feel it would have been much more beneficial to my present day life if we had discussions about how to handle your money.
I’m not placing blame on my high school for my debt. I will honestly admit that I got myself into it. But it would be nice to see a shift to some coursework that will help you live your life once you leave high school. I think that would do wonders once for teens once they hit the “real” world.
I could not agree with you more. You want to teach math that people need in their lifetime. Forget trig…. teach kids how to calculate APR’s and finance charges– practical math that will matter and can led to a better life through knowledge and know how.
I read an article (and unfortunately I didn’t bookmark it and can’t find it again) but it was about a fifth grade teacher that taught some personal finance to her class. What a great idea to start young and get kids interested!
I was just thinking about this a few days ago!