Empowering Educators to Teach Personal Finance: VCU Financial Success Center Partners with Virginia Council on Economic Education

The Importance of Financial Education for High School Students

Roanoke City high school teacher Jeremiah Riesenbeck knows firsthand the importance of managing credit. After navigating two bankruptcies in recent years, he now teaches economics and personal finance to his students, emphasizing the significance of financial literacy.

Riesenbeck’s story is just one example of why financial education is crucial for high school students. In Virginia, a personal finance course has been a requirement for most high schoolers since 2011. To support educators like Riesenbeck in teaching these important skills, the VCU Financial Success Center by Virginia Credit Union partnered with the Virginia Council on Economic Education to present Financial Foundations, a personal finance conference for educators.

The conference covered topics such as budgeting, investing, and saving for future needs, providing teachers with resources and strategies to empower themselves and their students. According to Amy Pridemore, executive director of the Financial Success Center, it is imperative to equip teachers with personal finance education that they can bring back to their classrooms.

Stephen Day, director of the VCU Center for Economic Education, emphasized the importance of developing good financial habits early on. By supporting teachers in teaching personal finance, students can carry these habits into adulthood, ultimately gaining control over their finances.

Educators like Janice Decker from Loudoun County and Karen Short from Goochland County stressed the importance of personal finance education for students of all ages. Decker shared her own experience of not investing her savings early on, while Short highlighted the lack of basic financial knowledge among some students.

Overall, the Financial Foundations conference provided educators with valuable tools and resources to teach personal finance effectively. By bridging academia and outreach, the conference aimed to empower teachers and students alike to make informed financial decisions for a lifetime.