I remember being in a marketing class in HS and being taught to do personal math. Since to be in the class you had to have a job, we all had to do our own taxes every year we were in the class and the teacher checked it over for us. It was a great thing.

Now we home school and use Accelerated Christian Education for our curriculum. One of the elective that is required for seniors is a course called Business Math that goes over all the personal finance that most people use in daily life. It has banking, a refresher on decimals, fractions, and percentages. It even teaches compound interest and mortgage interest.

I am very glad to know that our kids will know how to do these things. Our 17yo dd already has her own checking account with debit card and checks that she keeps track of online.

If you worried about your kids not learning it (like most of us didn't, me included), you could check out ACE or other books that you can do with your kids at home. I would suggest starting younger than senior year, though. Our kids have had summer jobs since they were 12 and have had savings accounts since then. It has really helped them not ask for everything, especially if they aren't sure it's something we would agree to purchase or expect them to purchase.n my soapbox:

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"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." --Author Unknown

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey,...but a woman of strength has faith and wisdom to know that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

Our high school actually offers a class about household finances, its called Personal Finances, it teaches about balancing a checkbook, taxes and how to use credit wisely. It is not a required course, although it should be, I'm not sure how many kids actually get to take the class, there are so many required courses that you must have to graduate, not much time left for things that aren't required.

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DS-3

My high school offered something called "Consumer Math" that did all that stuff re: checks, banking, interest, loans, etc. It was something that most considered a "cake class" to be taken by the "burnouts" who could not handle advanced math, college math classes, calculus, etc. I did not know a single person who took it because my group was all in the college prep curriculum, so we were too busy w/ advanced trig & such. Of course, now, as an adult, I think those sorts of classes are very valuable. I learned how to balance my checkbook by reading the instructions on my bank statement.

There is no time for teachers and schools to teach everything a person needs to know in order to live day to day. As a parent you probably write checks and balance your account often. Why not have your child sit with you as you do this? When you shop, explain your purchases and reasons for them. Take your child to the bank with you. Show your child your stock reports and earnings as they come in each month. You know what you want your child to learn. If you are having financial difficulty, explain that to your child,too. Discuss possible solutions and possible outcomes if the problem isn't solved. A constant, real life lesson in how things are done in your world would mean a lot more than a day or two of pretend banking in a school setting.

I am a retired Elementary Teacher and there was no way we could get everything in our day or week that had to be done, much less everything that every parent thought we should be doing. Required lessons in Kindness to Animals, Environmental Awareness, Character Development, Patrotism, etc. These, in addition to teaching actual subjects. And remember that teachers are just human beings and not all of us are especailly knowledgable or proficient with finances, money handling, investments, either.

you should check with the Cooperative Extension office in your state (google it). They have finacial planning programs for young adults and kids. When you reach your state (or other state's) cooperative extension website, type in to search for 'kid's financial programs" or something similar. here is a cool link from Cornell University: http://www.addsup.org/

Cyndi

Personally I feel this is a part of parenting and helping your child prepare to be an adult and go out into the world. Although school helps to build on these skills, it is not all their responsibility. Finances/management etc. should begin when you start an allowance or when children receive gifts. I learned how to use a checkbook from my mom and also in accounting. She also taught me to save and to budget for what I wanted. We were poor, but made our money go a long way. I also learned money techniques (from what I remember) in economics, sales and marketing, and in home economics. My sisters and I have thrived on what we learned from our single mom. We have all graduated college doing it on our own, no credit card debt, and stay on top of our finances. We all actively participate with our husbands re: $ (and actually handle the majority). The one of us who had more problems with money was the youngest who ended up relying and getting more from mom once we were gone. She has gotten better, but it was a struggle for her for a while. Start early for all your kids and continue with consistency throughout the years.

Hi There, I remember having an economics class in H.S that I found very helpful. I also remember watching what my mom and dad did with their money. They actually got into some $$ troubles and I remember them having to dig themselves out. Parents can teach this without really "teaching" them. Remember that you teach your kids about money (or anything for that matter) without actually having to lecture them. I always remember that it is best for them to make their money decisions with my gentle guidance than with harsh realities later.

A portion of my home economics class was devoted to this. We had to write a budget, pay bills, balance a checkbook, go (paper) grocery shopping, etc. It was good to learn all that stuff, but we learned it in 6th grade. We were like 12 or so. I thought it should have been something we learned later on, say when we were like 16 or something, but I realize that my economics teacher put it in her curriculum because that was one of the last classes it could be incorporated into that we were all required to take. If it was an elective, very few would have taken the class. In a neighboring school, the kids took a class called Life Instructions (or something close to that). They learned all the basics, including doing your taxes, how to buy a car, grocery shop, budget, pay bills, credit cards, banking, etc. Depends on the school system I guess. I know that since I'm homeschooling my children, it'll be something that my husband and I teach them. I can teach them as the time comes, and not have them go through the same odd timing of the lessons that I did.

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I think schools are too busy teaching technology and appreciation for diverse and alternative cultures and preparing students for No Child Left Behind-inspired testing.
(yes, I'm a cynic.)

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~Jeweled

I remember in HS, I took like a business math elective class which included money management. Part of being a "parent" is to teach children/teens the life skills they will need and benefit once they move out of the house.