Audience: high school students, teachers, and administration
Thrust head first into college, our first taste what the experienced call “the real world”, it can be surprising to find just how unprepared four years of a supposedly rigorous, transitional high school program can render someone. With the transition to university comes a sense of independence students yearn for their whole lives, but also a plethora of personal responsibilities that they frankly aren’t prepared for. Doing laundry, recovering from illnesses, and even attending class on a regular basis, are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of tasks that become so much more difficult away from home. Perhaps one of the most prominent problems, however might be the general lack of a solid financial literacy background for most students on campus here on Penn State as well as around the country.
In a time where college expenses seem to increase by the day, wealth management could not be any more important of a skillset. While some students fall into addiction traps for products or services – Starbucks, fast food, and online shopping come to mind – others can find themselves neglecting life’s necessities, which proves to be detrimental in the long ru. Like with many problems of this nature, an instant solution remains place faith in education to do the job. Unfortunately, with standardized testing and examinations comprising a majority of high school focus for both teachers and students, administrative figures in today’s current secondary education system find little reason to promote the implementation of additional curricula regarding financial literacy. Firsthand experiences in college, however, tell a different story. Mandatory wealth management courses have the potential to instill within students life lessons in spending, saving, and prioritizing. Without any doubt, these types of classes are warranted, and though they might struggle to appeal to all students initially, they will surely expose high school students to smart financial practices, when they need said exposure the most.
Potential sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/high-schools-teaching-personal-finance-2015-4
https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-college-students-be-required-to-take-a-course-in-personal-finance-1489975500
Body 1 will discuss the advantages financial literacy classes can have for students, including personal life lessons and habits that can be sustained long-term.
Body 2 will go into depth about the advantages financial literacy classes can bring schools in the large picture, including ways that these classes can promote curricular diversity.
Body 3 will go into some of the perceived negatives and challenges their institution, and ways that the proper institution of classes can avoid these issues.