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We have discussed teaching "personal finance" many times. Just whose values would we use? The teacher's? What if said teacher was one of these people who thinks that "you have to have credit to get credit" means maxing out your credit cards regualarly? I'm not saying all do, but I'm sure a certain percentage do, just as a certain percentage of the general population do. And so on.
In the personal finance course I teach, the "values" I teach are to spend less than you make....it's called budgeting. I teach students to categorize between needs and wants, and to budget their money accordingly. That allows for a difference in values....if you have your needs paid for, you can buy your wants if you have money left over.
I guess it does get into a values thing when I recommend that they save 7-10% of their income from the time they get their very first job. I don't teach that to have credit you have to get credit....I teach them what credit is, how much it really costs them, how they can easily get into trouble with credit, about mortgages, etc.
Perhaps you don't think us teachers are qualified with life experience for this. I am married with kids, in my middle 40's, have zero mortgage (yes $0) on my home valued at more than $300K (I paid it off in 10 years using the methods I know and teach my students), have zero (yes $0) credit card debt and save more than 10% of my salary per month. It probably never dawned on you that as teachers, we don't live life in a bubble removed from the "real world", that we continue to experience life just like you do and might be qualified to teach others what we know.
Your attitude towards parents could use some improvement.
My attitude's GREAT toward my parents who do their jobs. Actually, my attitude's completely neutral and professional toward the ones who don't, as well. My attitude toward the ones who are neglectful is to document every instance of neglect I see...as I am legally required and ethically bound to do. It's my job.
In the personal finance course I teach, the "values" I teach are to spend less than you make....it's called budgeting. I teach students to categorize between needs and wants, and to budget their money accordingly. That allows for a difference in values....if you have your needs paid for, you can buy your wants if you have money left over.
I guess it does get into a values thing when I recommend that they save 7-10% of their income from the time they get their very first job. I don't teach that to have credit you have to get credit....I teach them what credit is, how much it really costs them, how they can easily get into trouble with credit, about mortgages, etc.
Perhaps you don't think us teachers are qualified with life experience for this. I am married with kids, in my middle 40's, have zero mortgage (yes $0) on my home valued at more than $300K (I paid it off in 10 years using the methods I know and teach my students), have zero (yes $0) credit card debt and save more than 10% of my salary per month. It probably never dawned on you that as teachers, we don't live life in a bubble removed from the "real world", that we continue to experience life just like you do and might be qualified to teach others what we know.
I know a lot more about education than you give me credit for. I know a lot of teachers. They have the same types of spending habits as everyone else I know. In other words, some are frugal, some are not. You seem to have a chip on your shoulder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TabulaRasa
My attitude's GREAT toward my parents who do their jobs. Actually, my attitude's completely neutral and professional toward the ones who don't, as well. My attitude toward the ones who are neglectful is to document every instance of neglect I see...as I am legally required and ethically bound to do. It's my job.
Quote:
I know good and well that it's your job to report abuse. I am a mandatory reporter also, as was my daughter when she worked in a day care center. I'm referring to this statement:
This is, in fact, the case, and yeah, we are in a heap of trouble.
That trouble is getting laid at the feet of the professional educators, however, rather than at the feet of the parents/guardians, the ones who should be educating on such topics, but are largely not, just as they are largely derelict in other duties that then get passed on to classroom teachers.
Why don't the parents teach these things?
a. because they don't know, themselves
b. because they do not or cannot make the time to do so
c. because they lack the inclination to do so
Or any combination thereof.
Maybe parents are "supposed" to teach life skills.
But if they don't, then what? Pay for it upfront, or pay for it later. You can either sink the money into educating kids, or you can pay for their lack of knowledge and ability further down the road and squawk about them being a drain on taxpayers.
When you decide that most parents aren't doing their job, you lose my support.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 10-30-2011 at 04:58 PM..
I believe that the current educational system is not designed to empower people to be intelligent and strong. In today's society the educational system has been developed to act as a tool to push the agenda of special-interest groups. Developing a sense of dependence and resignation. Historically, many people who have changed the world have NOT been highly educated. Or, if they have, they have usually been trouble makers or gotten very poor grades. Higher education, by its very NATURE is NOT compatible with concepts such as innovation, independence and self determination. It is all about keeping people quiet and TEACHING THEM A LESSON.
I agree that parents need to take the initiative and assume the roll of teaching their children how to think, and how to approach life in a way that will make them successful and self sufficient. Sadly, we are into the third or fourth generation now of the "new" way of approaching education, so I am skeptical that even parents or grandparents have the knowledge or the ability to pass that knowledge down to their progeny. Sadly.
I was taught almost all of that at home, and was able to function just fine as an 18-year-old in the real world.
In my opinion, school is meant to educate us. But the nitty gritty life skills? Don't most parents teach those?
Decidedly, NO! Any idiot can have a kid in this country. Some kids don't even learn proper behavior, self control, being polite, until they start school.
I did not learn about investing until I started reading financial magazines. I thought we had various freedoms, until I learned that that meant that the government could not persecute you because of something you said, but your job could fire you. Effectively, we are not really free to voice our opinions unless we are unemployed. I think that's important to know, up front, before you start your working life.
My mother, despite protests, did not want me to do the dishes. I found out later that she had bottles of alcohol hidden around the kitchen.
I think some classes in life skills would be great.
Lucky you. You had adequate parents. Mine loved me but, in some ways, hardly knew enough to manage their own lives.
Last edited by goldengrain; 10-30-2011 at 06:28 PM..
I know a lot more about education than you give me credit for. I know a lot of teachers. They have the same types of spending habits as everyone else I know. In other words, some are frugal, some are not. You seem to have a chip on your shoulder.
When you decide that most parents aren't doing their job, you lose my support.
Why? If your kids already know how to do these things, obviously, you're doing your job (or your kids lucked out, because they learned it some other way, if not from you, but I'm assuming they learned from you). For the kids who don't, and for whom the deficit is not due to some disability or another that requires extra reinforcement and maintenance of skills regarding what is ostensibly being taught in the home (as with the students I teach), the parental ball is being dropped.
If YOU are doing YOUR job, why should you take offense when it is pointed out that there are many - MANY - who aren't?
I believe that the current educational system is not designed to empower people to be intelligent and strong.
I disagree.
I work for a school that is 150% focused on the skill acquisition intended to make people as independent and empowered as humanly possible.
The catch? I work with students who are severely disabled. Federal law requires that these students be taught transitional skills in school after a certain age (which varies by state), skills that include but are not limited to basic life skills that they will use to reach the highest level of personal independence possible.
The fact that nobody seems to think that these skills are just as important for typically developing students is very interesting to me. The rationale is, I suppose, that it's assumed that parents do the teaching for their non-disabled kids in these areas, but for the disabled kids, it needs to be reinforced in school. In fact, students without disabilities are often at just as much of a loss in these areas, though, because the skills are largely not being taught anywhere.
I also find that the parents of the disabled students I work with are largely very, very good advocates for their children and it's very important to them that their children be taught in ways that reinforce the skills they need to be independent and empowered in the world as young adults. If only all parents could be so motivated to see their children succeed to the best of their abilities.
Why? If your kids already know how to do these things, obviously, you're doing your job (or your kids lucked out, because they learned it some other way, if not from you, but I'm assuming they learned from you). For the kids who don't, and for whom the deficit is not due to some disability or another that requires extra reinforcement and maintenance of skills regarding what is ostensibly being taught in the home (as with the students I teach), the parental ball is being dropped.
If YOU are doing YOUR job, why should you take offense when it is pointed out that there are many - MANY - who aren't?
Because I don't believe that. That doesn't describe any of my friends and acquaintances. You are falsely assuming that MANY (your word) parents don't teach their kids "life skills". I'm sick of parents getting dumped on. It seems to be an occupational hazard with teachers. You see it on this forum over and over. You nor anyone else with this belief has ever provided any data to back that up.
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