I have been holed up since Tuesday of this week (7/6/10) teaching a new group of trainers how to use accelerated learning to make financial education programs like Camp Millionaire more effective and so much more fun for the participants.
Though I haven’t had much time to do anything but teach and sleep, I always take time to reflect back on the week of teaching. I am always meloncholy at the end of my trainings because even though I know that these people’s hearts and souls want to teach financial principles to kids and teens, the road they are about to start down isn’t going to be an easy one.
The people of America make it seem like teaching kids and teens how to make, manage and multiply their money is a great occupation…and it is, don’t get me wrong. But getting the school boards to see IT as essential topics that should be taught, empowering our nation’s teachers with the information themselves and asking them to teach it in their classrooms and getting parents to send their children to community financial literacy programs is another thing altogether.
What I can say after being in the financial literacy industry (and it is an industry) since 2002 is that for each person I am able to impart even the most basic of financial principles and I see that it affects his or her life in a positive way, I am changed.
And that’s why I love doing what I do…teach kids and teens and adults about money.
Elisabeth,
Yes, teaching financial education, to adults or kids, is a not an easy path (as we both know). But, you ARE making an big impact on many lives…mine included.
Thanks for what you do and keep getting the message out there that financial education is important!
Stacey 🙂