As far as requiring students to take a course on financial lessons goes, I believe it is a good idea. How many people leave high school and are ready to accept the responsibilities of being an adult? We are all usually eighteen by then and many of us are going on to college, with most of us being on our own. We’ll be handling numerous financial issues. Many students do not know much about finances, how to spend their money, and waste money on little things. If I asked a teenager how they plan to keep a budget in college, or just after high school, many would have no answer. Few of us really have a plan. We do not really know much about all the topics out there in the realm of dealing with money. I know a little bit about money because I have discussed them with my mother. Not every child gets the opportunity to learn lessons of finance from their parents. Not every kid has parents who have practiced healthy financial habits.
I believe that it is the role of public education to prepare us for the world we will face when we leave high school, and financial skills are an essential aspect of that world. Sure some of us might not want to take it and think it is a waste of time, but there’s a lot to learn about personal financing, checking accounts, etc. We’re all banking on the idea that we’ll learn with experience and find out as we go. But I do not want to learn too late that I should have been preparing a retirement plan, budget plan, and mortgage plan for that matter when I was back in college.
I definitely agree with you in having a finance class. I am sure that the majority of our classmates feel the same way. Because of the continuous fall in our economy, our generation has been left with a significant amount of misfortunes. Not only would such a course benefit our knowledge in handling our pre-career incomes, it would undeniably teach us skills and concepts that will stay with us until we are on our own and carrying our own weight.The earlier we are conditioned on a single skill, the better we will grasp the concepts later in life. It is a proven psychological fact. Also, not all families have a strong bank account to lean on, especially during this recession. For that reason, the parents of those kinds of families may not know how to teach their children how to successfully manage their newly earned revenue. Therefore, having a finance course will only be beneficial.
Posted by: Kayla Ferreira | 03/31/2011 at 05:35 AM
Erin, this is a great response. I really agree with what you say about the financing classes in high school. Most of the students in our high school are about to go to college next year. Once you go to college, you need to finance your education and this is very paramount. A normal student takes out an astronomical amount of loans and a good background in finance could help you pick the right loans with the right interest rates. Finance classes could really help situations like this because prior to classes like this, many of the students do not know the value of the dollar becuase they are so used to getting everything they need from their parents. Once they start having to buy their own food and their own drinks on the weekend, than they need to know how to finance themselves properly and that is where the personal finance classes would work in perfectly. I feel as if there is no way that this class should not be instituted. I know for a fact that I would have had taken a class if it was offered at Bishop Connolly High School and it would most definitely help me as a student and a person. I really wish that Bishop Connolly High School offered this class, but don't worry, I bet the Leapers will be able to take a class like this.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 03/31/2011 at 05:39 AM
I agree with you Erin when you realize that high school students do not always understand the lifestyle that certain families live because of their financial situations. It is always good to make sure that you are involved with the family and recognize what goes behind the scenes. Students are always wondering if they can get more money for lunch, or for a new shirt, but they never realize where that money comes from. It is good to educate these students so that they begin to comprehend the image of money and its’ importance. This course would provide an introduction to theory, methods, and concerns of personal finance. It is a great idea to educate students about family planning as well because they do not anticipate the world after college. They come up with these ideas to live in large homes and drive nice cars, but they never set aside this money and eventually find themselves in a difficult situation. Many predicaments like these are present throughout the world, and the government is losing out from repaying these loans or mortgages. It comes to a point where people don’t know how to manage their money, and they find themselves in a lot of trouble, which increases unemployment rates and poverty. We need to begin at the high school level so that issues like these don’t occur in our future. We need to create nation-building ideas, rather than to destroy it financially. We need to recognize what we can afford, and what we can’t.
Posted by: Barbosa729 | 03/31/2011 at 05:44 AM