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I don't think we should get rid of calculus for those able to take it, just that we should offer personal finance classes as well.
I'm pretty sure the girl bought the house in cash with her mom... This 14-Year-Old Girl Just Bought A House In Florida : Planet Money : NPR It's an "authentic experience" either way. Certainly moreso than reading a book about house-buying or taking a class. My point in mentioning it was to say that teens CAN understand these types of situations, and they don't have to be told, "oh, plenty of time for learning that later; instead, let's focus on more theory." Why not teach both?
I don't think we should get rid of calculus for those able to take it, just that we should offer personal finance classes as well.
I'm pretty sure the girl bought the house in cash with her mom... This 14-Year-Old Girl Just Bought A House In Florida : Planet Money : NPR It's an "authentic experience" either way. Certainly moreso than reading a book about house-buying or taking a class. My point in mentioning it was to say that teens CAN understand these types of situations, and they don't have to be told, "oh, plenty of time for learning that later; instead, let's focus on more theory." Why not teach both?
The girl bought a $12,000 concrete block house at auction. Her mother paid half the price. I suppose my kids could have done that at 14, too, with their college funds. But for what purpose? This girl is supposedly going to rent the house out. That should be a fun experience. I actually agree with your "plenty of time" statement. Who needs to be doing this stuff at 14? The way the social security laws are set up, these kids are going to have to work until they're 70 (at least). Just what IS the rush?
I guess if you're investing in real estate at the age of 14, there's a very good chance that you won't need to worry about whether your SS is going to kick in in order to retire. As a side note, most of the houses here are concrete block; we live in an area prone to hurricanes.
Again, I wasn't trying to say that every teen needs to buy a house. My point was that teens can absolutely understand these types of things, and to say that they can't does them a disservice. Can you really denigrate a teen for having the wherewithal to save her money and "trade up" in order to buy a house, because instead she should be out... doing what?
You can learn about real estate without buying a home at 14...if, in fact, you are even interested in learning about real estate. I didn't become interested in learning about real estate until my early thirties, and even then, only marginally.
Teens can understand TONS of stuff. Whether or not it's touched on in school is kind of immaterial, in many cases. As I said earlier, the most functional purpose of school is to train students HOW to learn, how to think critically, how to extract information, how to read for understanding, how to extrapolate, how to draw connections and conclusions, etc. These are all skills that they can take elsewhere in life, and apply to LEARNING THINGS ON THEIR OWN. The loftiest purpose of schooling is to prepare one to be an independent, functional, thinking adult who doesn't require the framework of a teacher-led class to learn new things.
You can learn about real estate without buying a home at 14...if, in fact, you are even interested in learning about real estate. I didn't become interested in learning about real estate until my early thirties, and even then, only marginally.
Teens can understand TONS of stuff. Whether or not it's touched on in school is kind of immaterial, in many cases. As I said earlier, the most functional purpose of school is to train students HOW to learn, how to think critically, how to extract information, how to read for understanding, how to extrapolate, how to draw connections and conclusions, etc. These are all skills that they can take elsewhere in life, and apply to LEARNING THINGS ON THEIR OWN. The loftiest purpose of schooling is to prepare one to be an independent, functional, thinking adult who doesn't require the framework of a teacher-led class to learn new things.
So true! If we could just figure out how to do this.
I am an RN and I am here to tell you that being a CNA is an awful way to make a living.
With the retirement age being pushed ever higher, what is the rush to get in the workplace anyway? Many of these vo-tech programs are now being done by the community colleges. They have a lot of certificate programs as well as academic programs.
It is an awful way to make a living. RN also but no longer practice, The difference between being an RN and a CNA are huge.
I also don't get why people are rushing to get into the workplace these days.
It is an awful way to make a living. RN also but no longer practice, The difference between being an RN and a CNA are huge.
I also don't get why people are rushing to get into the workplace these days.
People, even young people, are rushing to get into the workplace for the same reason they always have--they need the money.
For most of my students, being a CNA would be a major step up for them and their families. There are populations like this all over the country. While our family could (barely) afford for our daughter to do several unpaid and low-paying internships in her preparation for medical school, millions of families need for their children to become wage-earners as quickly as possible. Sometimes the kids are the only wage-earners in the family. If they can get a professional certification in high school for cosmetology or auto mechanics, then they can earn much more than they currently do by doing hair or being a shade-tree mechanic. Then they can hopefully move into a more stable financial position so that they can pursue higher education without having to take out huge student loans.
That the diversity in our country gets expressed in a demand for more practical courses for some communities makes many people very uncomfortable. I believe that is a lot of the reason for the push behind the college-for-all moverment, which students and teachers suffer through in our district.
Originally Posted by AnotherTouchOfWhimsy;25332350[B
]I guess if you're investing in real estate at the age of 14, there's a very good chance that you won't need to worry about whether your SS is going to kick in in order to retire[/b]. As a side note, most of the houses here are concrete block; we live in an area prone to hurricanes.
Again, I wasn't trying to say that every teen needs to buy a house. My point was that teens can absolutely understand these types of things, and to say that they can't does them a disservice. Can you really denigrate a teen for having the wherewithal to save her money and "trade up" in order to buy a house, because instead she should be out... doing what?
Right. You've never heard of the housing bubble bursting, have you?
A 14 year old should be out being a 14 year old! Going to dances, out with friends to the movies, to school for pity's sake!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lhpartridge
People, even young people, are rushing to get into the workplace for the same reason they always have--they need the money.
For most of my students, being a CNA would be a major step up for them and their families. There are populations like this all over the country. While our family could (barely) afford for our daughter to do several unpaid and low-paying internships in her preparation for medical school, millions of families need for their children to become wage-earners as quickly as possible. Sometimes the kids are the only wage-earners in the family. If they can get a professional certification in high school for cosmetology or auto mechanics, then they can earn much more than they currently do by doing hair or being a shade-tree mechanic. Then they can hopefully move into a more stable financial position so that they can pursue higher education without having to take out huge student loans.
That the diversity in our country gets expressed in a demand for more practical courses for some communities makes many people very uncomfortable. I believe that is a lot of the reason for the push behind the college-for-all moverment, which students and teachers suffer through in our district.
Point taken about the money. However, I would never encourage anyone to become a CNA to earn money. You should follow a CNA around for an 8 hr. shift, maybe 2-3 days in a row. It's h***ish work. My daughter used to work in a day care center, similar money, MUCH better working conditions, still very hard work. Better than being a CNA.
I can see offering "Personal Finance" as an elective course. I think that type of class is more useful than a Home Ec class. After all, even people who didn't have Home Ec in HS (myself included) figure out how to cook when they get hungry enough. Finances are harder to navigate without learning from a parent or a class.
Of course high schools should offer and require more practical classes especially when considering the fact that the majority of the population doesn't even graduate college or hold a college degree. High schools nowadays mostly require certain classes to be sure their students are "college-ready" and drill in the motto that everyone MUST go to college or else which is pointless due to the reasoning I mentioned above.
...........
Finance math was first offered when I entered my eleventh grade year and I switched to it after failing two quarters of Algebra II. To be honest, I found Finance math to be the most useful class I ever took in high school and it definetely opened my eyes to the financial world and how to handle money. I'm glad I took it and it's certainly much more relevant than Algebra II. Which was a class that I HATED, and had to pass due to graduation requirements. However, I've since forgotten everything I studied in Algebra II but I've retained almost everything I learned in Finance class.
I recently found out that my old high school is going to be requiring all coming freshman students to pass Chemistry in order to graduate. All I can say is good luck to them! They most likely won't be using any of the stuff they're going to study anyway.
Most of my classmates and I struggled in that class. There were a lot of formulas and mathematical equations that we had to memorize that I had difficulty comphrehending. Fast forward two and half years, I don't remember or have knowledge of anything I studied in that class, just like with Algebra II.
Last edited by 90sman; 07-27-2012 at 10:05 PM..
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As a side note, most of the houses here are concrete block; we live in an area prone to hurricanes. 
