Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1419056
P E R S O N A L F I N A N C E — including such basics as keeping checking and savings accounts, establishing and managing credit, and paying taxes — is arguably one of the most important things young p e opl e n e ed to kn ow b efore l aun ch- ing into adulthood. But currently only a q u a r t e r o f C a l i f o r n i a h i g h s c h o o l students even have the choice of taking a personal finance course. Tara Razi is doing her part to change that. The social science teacher at San Marcos High School in North San Diego County spent her summer creating a year- long personal finance course meeting UC and CSU "a-g" admission requirements, "We need this class — truly, it should be a graduation requirement." —Tara Razi, San Marcos Educators Association Razi with her dog Molly Grace. which proved to be so popular this fall that another instructor and more sec- tions were quickly added. " I w a n t t o h e l p t e a c h s e n i o r s a n d juniors the real-life skills they need to be successful in a post-high school world," explains Razi, a member of San Marcos Educators Association (SME A) in her eighth year of teaching. e course also addresses budgeting, investing, financial pitfalls and ethics. It takes students through a real process of applying for a job (writing a creative résumé and cover letter, building a career portfolio, interviewing with an employer, sending thank-you notes). " They don't have to take the job; that's not the pur- pose," Razi says. Students start the course with two weeks of "executive development" where they must email all their teachers, intro- duce themselves, and talk about their strengths and where they might need support. ey learn critical organizational and time-management skills. Guest speakers from the community add further relevance to the lessons. Razi, who says she has always been financially responsible and taught herself important skills from others' mistakes, developed her curriculum based on her own work and content at Next Gen Personal Finance ( ngpf.org), which provides curriculum and other resources for educators. She al so c onsult ed with Th e S an Marc os Promise, a nonprofit foundation serving students in the San Marcos Talking About Money Tara Razi's personal finance class is a hit $ Continued on page 50 In addition to her own work, Razi's class uses content from Next Gen Personal Finance (ngpf.org), which provides curriculum and other resources for educators. 49 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 21 C