All Things Considered...

It has been a busy two weeks at work, leaving little time and energy for blogging.  My evening schedule  began in earnest this past Monday; I've had financial literacy classes 3 nights this week and another one today (this morning, thankfully).  We're squeezing an 8 session course in before the holidays but that means an extended schedule for me.  This gets me into the groove for my tax season schedule, which is right around the corner.  Better I adjust now, as I've got volunteer recruitment and training to mange from here through early January and then tax preparation in earnest through April. 

Why Financial Literacy Now?
As part of the Credit Reform Act of 2009, the federal government is looking at ways to help Americans become financially competent in 5 areas: Earning, Saving, Spending, Borrowing, and Protection Against Risk.  As the holidays approach and people start last-minute shopping and spending, putting some time into understanding how money works can help people exercise a little discipline in that spending.

Many people don't really spend any time thinking through their money.  It comes in; it goes out.  If they don't have enough to buy something, they borrow.  Often, they don't even see overdraft protection as borrowing.  But borrowing has consequences.  Helping them think through those consequences in advance can help them develop a different mindset about money (theirs' and others') so they can make better choices.

That is part of the purpose of our program.  People who have gone through it are grateful for the opportunity to sit and hear, discuss, ask questions, learn, and reflect on the topics we discuss.  We're fortunate that we have half a dozen financial institutions and several other volunteers who help us as instructors.  Our students get this information right from the horse's mouth, so to speak. 

Now, if I just had a little more income...

Everyone Benefits
Yes, I, like everyone else, benefit from these discussions every time.  The students themselves provide a lot of good input - tips for saving at the grocery store, local resources for better purchasing, lessons learned from past mistakes, etc.  Our instructors get the chance to really listen to the people who often have the most trouble with financial institutions.  They get a lot of feedback - both positive and negative - about people's experiences with financial institutions.  This helps them understand the banking needs and issues of the low income community that much better.

The discussion aspect of the program is as important as the prepared materials we use.  By the way, we use the Money Smart curriculum from the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), which is free and available in numerous languages.  They even offer a free one-day training for instructors. 

Does Your Community Offer Financial Literacy?
If your non-profit wants to empower its low-to-moderate income community, consider offering or collaborating with another organization to offer financial education programs.  Changing people's thinking about and around money can have a tremendously positive effect on them in the long term.

You may also be able to get involved with a matched savings program (Individual Development Accounts, or IDAs) that provide an incentive to save towards a specific goal.  You can always contact me for more information.

You might be able to help with or teach in such a program.  In addition to volunteer instructors from the banking/credit union community, we have experienced VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) volunteers and staff from a local CDC (community development corporation) who teach as well.

Barriers to Web 2.0 in Schools

"Teachers and students are largely driving the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in schools, but human and technological barriers are holding back the use of these as learning tools in many classrooms, according to a new study..."

From an article in eSchool News.

Here's an area where many of us can make a difference. We can connect with teachers and officials in our local schools and help improve their understanding and use of Web 2.0 tools.

Why would I recommend this? Educating students utilizing the ways that they learn today requires using the tools they use today. Web 2.0 tools can bring an "immediacy" to the classroom that outreaches traditional textbooks and other tools.

However, teachers are at a huge disadvantage in our classrooms; so are the students. It's a two-pronged problem that has nothing to do with Web 2.0. You can continue to read to see what I think about some of them (just the tip of an iceberg--it's early morning and I have to get to work). But you may be able to help your local schools in their understanding and adoption of Web 2.0 tools that improve teacher and student access to information that is relevant to their learning.

Unrelated to Web 2.0, what are some barriers to learning?
Teachers often are disadvantaged by the students themselves. Admittedly, and thankfully, it's not all students. But so many are disrespectful and disruptive in the classroom. Some don't want to learn. Some resent being in school. Some just don't know how to behave because no one has ever expected them to behave in a manner that's conducive to learning. Teachers end up becoming peacekeepers and disciplinarians. It reflects on the phrase, "When you're up to your ass in alligators, it's difficult to remember that the objective was to drain the swamp." It's difficult for the teachers and for those students who want to learn.

Students are also at a disadvantage. Some teachers don't know how to control a classroom. Some don't know how to engage youth in the learning process. Many of today's teachers cannot read and speak properly themselves. I am not talking about teachers who learned English as a second language. I'm talking about teachers who grew up in the American school system and never learned the basics themselves. They don't correct students' grammar because, "I'm not an English teacher," or some other silly reason.

Educational materials often create problems. Students bring homework home with instructions and worksheets. But if you read both, you'll see that the instructions use different terms than the worksheets. So the students are being taught one thing in school, but are bringing home assignments that use different terminology which they don't understand. I blame the publishers for this problem; they're so busy creating new editions of books each year to make money that they don't proofread and cross-reference properly before they publish. Again, it's not all of them, but it's enough of them to be a problem.

So, read the article and add your thoughts. Can you help your local schools in breaking down Web 2.0 barriers or any of these other barriers?

...Read, Think, and Discuss...