By: John Pitts
Special To The Times
Have you ever asked a high school student a question about finances? The probable response is a barrage of information about what they have purchased. Since students spend more time at school than any other place, why does high school not teach students about money management? Do not get me wrong it is highly helpful in life to be able to explain how cells reproduce, know that the Louisiana Purchase was one of the best land deals of all times, write an essay in 40 minutes about a random unknown article, and be able calculate the derivative of a reciprocal function in less than 2 minutes. After you master these useful skills how do you use them to say, balance a checkbook? Write a resume, correctly? Invest in assets? Or even differentiate between a checking and a savings account. How can students know to start saving as soon as they get their first job? How can students learn not to spend their money on liabilities? How can students be prepared for life after the enclosure of high school? Beats me, the current high school curriculum only prepares students for four years of college, not a lifetime.
An answer to the dilemma would be to incorporate a real financial literacy program in Birmingham Public Schools. An exclusive academic-based partnership with a bank or organization would be a great idea that could diminish the ignorance of money management among high school students. Becoming financially literate is a must in today’s world. Whether high school students go to the military, the work force, or college, academics will only prepare graduates for a few years but money management and financial literacy will excel them throughout a lifetime.
(John Pitts is a senior at Ramsay High School and is an Executive Assistant at Tier 1 Advisors, LLC. He can be reached at johnpitts1996@gmail.com)
