Should schools teach life & monetary skills? Some people say “Yes!” Some say “No!”
While the debate continues…let’s get personal for a second.
If you feel like most people, you’re underwhelmed by your financial knowledge. Nearly 46% of
people surveyed say they don’t know basics of financial literacy.
Why wasn’t financial literacy offered in school?
Perhaps it wasn’t offered because there weren’t any teachers who developed the curriculum
based on their education and life skills. Let’s face it: if you’re majoring in middle school
education, a minor in money management isn’t available.
That leaves teachers trying to teach that which they may not have mastered themselves. I’m not critiquing teachers at all. I’m saying that it is difficult, at best, to teach that which you don’t feel authoritative about. Teachers spend years developing their curriculum, their skills, their expertise, and their methodology. That’s why they teach and why their students learn.
A million years ago, in a universe far, far away, we had a class called home economics. It was for females and it included a very brief session on balancing a checkbook. Which was done the hard way. It stunk!
I learned all that and how to pinch a penny as well from my Mom and my Aunts. All of them were depression-era babies. Grandma knew a thing or two about stretching money and making ends meet. She even had mad money! You’ll have to IM to find out about mad money…lol.
Now that people are asking for financial classes in school, I cringe to think that big corporations, big banks or the big govmint will step in to tell people how and when to spend and on what they can spend their money. How much debt will be “normalized”?
Will they be better off than they are now?
Is this something that is best learned on one’s own so that the values and morals you espouse can be inherent in your financial planning education?
I think learning on your own might be a better ticket to punch than a rudimentary and brief session with a teacher who isn’t overly enthusiastic about the topic.
Or worse, a session wherein the teacher works for an organization that stands to profit from teaching you to embrace spending, debt, and putting your home at risk to consolidate debt.
Whichever side of the discussion you fall on, it’s OK.
The key for all of us is to realize we’re adults. School is a by-gone and we still need to be financially literate to survive, ney thrive, in the modern world.
If you want to thrive, then perhaps the best plan is a money coach or an on-line class. We are currently creating just that. An On-line version of the Forget You Program™ will be available in mid-2023.
If you want to be a Beta tester – brave! – reach out and we’ll put you on our list. Beta testing comes with discounts and responsibilities.
Yes, you get to point out the spelling errors. LOL.
©2023 Ronda Cobb, the Money Coach
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