Required Personal Finance Course

As a teenager growing up in a struggling economy, I know how hard it is to keep up with and save money. Working part-time at a dentist office isn’t very steady money. Therefore, I would definitely appreciate a required course in managing finances to teach me how to improve my money handling skills. I am sure that the majority of my 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. In the USA Today article, Jim Hedemark says, “It was not seen as a necessary life skill, and it was sort of seen as the kind of thing that should probably be learned in the home.” I could not disagree more with Hedemark’s generalization. If handling money becomes a life skill after college, why shouldn’t it be seen as a necessary life skill while still in high school? 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. My mother is constantly trying to advise me on how to save my money and I do take her advice. Although, a required course in school that offers more depth on the subject would be more than beneficial to me and the well being of my peers.

Comments

[rachel mowery]

I also disagree with Him Hedemark's statement when he says "the kind of thing that should probably be learned at home". To get a proper depiction and understanding of handling finances, I believe a course in high school is absolutely necessary. Without this, students enter college/the working force/the "real world" with little to no knowledge of what to spend their money on, how to budget, what they need and don't need, and putting money away for the future. This skill is crucial to succeeding in life. Regardless of what job you may have, everyone needs to budget their money, whether you are very wealthy or very poor. This skill is universal and without it, our economy would be destroyed. You make a very good point when you state, "If handling money becomes a life skill after college, why shouldn’t it be seen as a necessary life skill while still in high school? The earlier we are conditioned on a single skill, the better we will grasp the concepts later in life." You are absolutely true and the choice to implement this course in high schools is somewhat obvious. I am surprised only 15 high schools require this course, but definitely believe as the years pass, more and more high schools will begin to do the same. Hopefully Bishop Connolly will take the lead of other high schools and teach their students these skills to ultimately help them lead a more successful and financial savvy life.