HSFPP INstructor Brian Price is a dedicated teacher who uses creativity and innovation to bring personal finance to life for his students. One example is TeenDollars, an online platform for financial literacy Page created with his students. His students have created content for the website, including videos, podcasts, slideshows and articles. He requires his students to write financial education articles for other teens because, "having students create articles consistent with the financial literacy curriculum create the high-order thinking skills necessary to engrain life-long learning."
In May 2014 he was featured in the New York Times when he took his class on a field trip to local rent-to-own, check cashing and pawn stores. The students entered the destinations armed with worksheets and questions about loans and their terms. In the article Page says, "I just want to make sure that they know exactly what those choices are and that if they ever walk back in there, that they're going to be able to do the math and figure it out."
Page's classroom includes a collection of financial literacy books that his students are encouraged to borrow, a classroom resource center, recommended Podcasts, and an "In the news" area with the latest financial literacy news fed from his Twitter account, @TeenDollars (his students started a version for English Language Learners - @TeenDolares). His twitter feeds and TeenDollars Pinterest is geared entirely towards students, while his personal account @FinEdChat is used in part to share financial education resources and ideas with teachers. Page also manages an on-line resource page specifically for parents. During America Saves Week in February he hosted a Tweet Chat #StudentsSave, encouraging students to share resources to help each other develop good saving habits.
Students in Page's class are further encouraged to not only talk about savings, but are rewarded for taking concrete steps. Extra credit is awarded when students open a checking and savings accounts. For students who open a Roth IRA Page, offers a $500 bonus out of his own pocket as an incentive.
What motivates this INcredible financial educator? According to Page, "I teach because children deserve to be empowered with a financial education, so they can understand the importance of being financially healthy - and be prepared for life's inevitable tough twists and turns."
Marie Olson-Bedeau, FCS Teacher
Woodstock Middle School, Woodstock, VT
"Students use Module 3, page 26, to look at benefits when researching jobs/ careers and discuss what type of benefits could be provided for which jobs. Next we make an actual paycheck and figure what gets taken out for state and federal taxes plus social security and then we work on a real budget according to our career or job. I do this with 8th graders."