SILVER SPRING, Md. — Woodlin Elementary School is home of the Woodlin Wizards, and on Friday, the kids got a chance to become financial wizards. Volunteers with Junior Achievement, the nonprofit that focuses on entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy, joined students for a daylong crash course in money management.
When students at the Friendship Woodridge International Public Charter School asked, what is a supply chain and how are taxes calculated, they were met by 39 Howard University School of Business students. These students explained concepts of business and economics to them using the Junior Achievement® (JA) curriculum and their own experience and training as business students at one of the nation’s premier universities.
On March 4th I spent the day in a place I hadn’t been in years (and truthfully never thought I’d be back in) – a 6th grade classroom. I was there in support of “Junior Achievement”, a great organization that is dedicated to educating students in grades K-12 about financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.
On Friday, March 11, Freedom High School students participated in their first ever High School Heroes program by teaching Junior Achievement® programs to elementary school students in Virginia. The High School Heroes program allows regional high school students to prepare and volunteer in the classroom at local elementary schools. It is an opportunity for the high school students to practice their leadership and professional presentation skills, while teaching elementary school students critical life skills and serving as role models for them.
As a sixth grader, it can be easy to feel confused or lost when first exposed to financial concepts such as taxes, interest, budgeting, 401ks, and insurance. After all, these are concepts that many adults struggle to fully wrap the minds around. But imagine being introduced to these topics in a language you are just learning to speak. For one Ridgeview Middle School student, this is exactly the predicament in which he found himself.
