Our school systems teach us many subjects such as science, math, accounting, geography, history, the arts, and languages. But money is not one of them.
Why don't they teach money in school? Why isn't personal finance taught in school, and why don't all students have access to a personal finance coach before taking out student loans?
The answer is a mix of inertia in the system and failure to recognize financial literacy as one of the core skills needed to succeed in the 21st Century.
Today's post will explore why money should be taught at schools and why it's so essential for our children's futures that we start teaching money now. We'll also cover some tips on how parents can educate their children on money and how schools can teach money.
Personal finance is a core skill needed to succeed in the 21st Century.
Money is one of the essential things in our lives, but we don't learn anything about it in school. We learn about science, math, the arts, and languages, but we never learn how to manage our money.
This is a problem because money is one of the most important things in our lives. We need money to buy food, clothes, and shelter. We also need money to pay for our education.
Debt is another problem that we face. Many students take out student loans without ever learning about personal finance. This can lead to a lot of debt problems later in life. To avoid these problems, we need to teach students about personal finance in school.
Money is one of the essential things in our lives, but we don't learn anything about it in school.
Some people say that personal finance is not a required subject in school. They say that we should learn about money by ourselves. This is not a good idea. We need to learn about money in school to avoid problems like debt.
Teaching personal finance in school is a good idea because it can help students:
- avoid money problems later in life
- plan their future budgets
- know how much money they need for college
- know what to do with money when it's time to pay for college
People who say that personal finance is not a required subject are wrong. We need to teach students about money to avoid money problems as adults. Personal finance is a core skill needed to succeed in the 21st Century.
Many students take out student loans without ever learning about personal finance.
Two Reasons Why Money Isn't Taught in School
There are two reasons why money isn't taught in school: Inertia in the system and failure to recognize financial literacy as one of the core skills needed to succeed in the 21st Century.
Lack of Urgency in the System
The lack of urgency in the current education system is that money is not seen as an academic subject. This is due to the curriculum being drawn up in the 1800s. Students are already overloaded with many subjects to study, and money is not seen as necessary.
Failure to Recognize Financial Literacy as a Core Skill
There are many things that children need to learn at school to be successful in life. One of these skills is money management. Commercials and advertisements constantly bombard us with products to spend, so we should understand how money works, so we don't fall for these tricks.
Money isn't taught in school because they don't see it as necessary. Money is money, and money doesn't have a gender. It's not only women that spend money, and money isn't something that belongs to men or women exclusively.
Society has made money seem like a male-dominated thing, but we fail to realize that money doesn't discriminate against anyone based on their sex.
To make money a necessary subject in school, you can teach it interdisciplinary. This means that money shouldn't just be taught in math or business class.
Additionally, it should be taught in other classes such as English, history, and science. This will help money be seen as a more important subject and help students learn about money more holistically.
Giving students access to personal finance coaches is another way to make money a necessary subject in school. A personal finance coach can help students understand money and manage it. They can also help students who are struggling with money-related issues.
Teaching money in school is a good idea; money can be taught through different disciplines and give students access to personal finance coaches. Money management is not one of the subjects that school systems teach, and this needs to change. Education needs to include money management.
There are two reasons why money isn't taught in school: Inertia in the system and failure to recognize financial literacy as one of the core skills needed to succeed in the 21st Century.
It's Hard to Teach What You Don't Know.
Schools teach everything else but money because it is hard for teachers and parents to teach children about money themselves when they don't know much about it themselves.
Most parents try to teach their children about money by setting an example. However, this usually doesn't work because it's hard for them to change their spending habits. They also typically don't have the money, knowledge, or financial skills to give their children sound advice. Schools can help fill this gap by teaching students about money.
Debt is another reason why personal finance should be taught in school. A recent study by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling found that two-thirds of millennials have debt and that the average amount of debt per person is $37,172. Students need to learn how to avoid debt and manage it if they acquire it.
The good news is that some organizations are already trying to fill the gap in personal finance education. The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) is one of these organizations. NEFE created the High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP), a comprehensive personal finance curriculum for high school students.
There are many good reasons why personal finance should be taught in school. Schools should teach students about money because it is hard for parents to teach their children about money themselves.
Debt is a significant problem for millennials, and there are already organizations trying to fill the gap in personal finance education.
Teaching personal finance in school is a step in the right direction to ensuring that all students graduate with money skills that can help them succeed in the future.
Schools teach everything else but money because it is hard for teachers and parents to teach children about money themselves when they don't know much about it themselves.
Before You Take a $100,000 Student Loan
Students need access to personal finance coaches before they take out large student loans or enter into other debt agreements that will affect their lives. Most students take out student loans without fully understanding the consequences of their actions.
They may not know how to budget their money, they may not understand compound interest, and they may not calculate how much money they will need to pay back in total. That's why it's so essential for students to get access to personal finance coaches before they take on any significant debt agreements.
A personal finance coach can help a student understand all of the terms of a loan agreement and help them make a repayment plan.
A money coach can help students avoid debt and live within their means. Being in debt can affect a student's life in many ways. Many students graduate with over $20,000 of debt and interest.
To avoid taking on additional debt after school, money coaches can help graduates develop their money management skills.
Students need access to personal finance coaches before they take out large student loans or enter into other debt agreements that will affect their lives.
In conclusion, money should be taught as a subject in school so that students can learn how to manage money properly. If you want your child or student to have money skills for the future, they need access to personal finance coaches before taking out loans and entering into debt agreements.
Schools provide education on many subjects, but financial literacy is not one of them - this needs to change. Otherwise, we may see an even higher unemployment rate due to a lack of money management skills among millennials already struggling with debt from over $37K on average!
Let's hope schools pick it up so we can all rest a little easier at night, knowing our kids won't be crushed by money problems when they enter the working world.
The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) created the High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP) to help fill the gap in personal finance education. HSFPP is a comprehensive personal finance curriculum for high school students. It covers budgeting, saving money, credit, debt, and investing.
I agree with what you have presented. This is the work I do everyday. Helping people from all walks of life learn how money works! I would love to interview you about this topic and how it intersects with the faith community.
Hey Jeff,
Thanks for reading and responding. The world is better that you’re operating in that space to help people financially. I’d love to sit down and chat! Hit me up @ cestowers@clarencestowers.com
Great article, shining a light on an area overlooked. A great community resource available to high school, college students, adults and community groups is a program called Credit Abuse Resistance Education or CARE. CARE’s goal is to educate students, young adults and others about the benefits of personal financial management and the consequences of credit abuse.
Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing the CARE resource. I’ll make sure I pass it along.