When I tell my friends that I teach younger students about Finance and Accounting, they think I’m crazy. How can a twelve-year-old understand derivatives, valuation, or compounded interest? Over the past couple of years, I have worked with numerous tweens and teens to convey my passion for the subject. I really enjoy the look on their faces after we’ve demystified credit cards, financial statements, or an overview of the stock markets. I teach by building a context for finance and emphasizing foundational ideas. But most importantly, I let the students’ curiosities guide and shape our lessons.
A sixth grader was extremely inquisitive and really wanted to understand the foundations of economics. At first, he was confused by “supply and demand,” a fundamental concept. To make sure that he understood the concept, we discussed and explored the curve in great detail. We made it intuitive, through discussion and context, so that he could explain it in his own words.
An eighth grader wanted to understand finance better to help manage her personal bank accounts. While she was only in middle school, she wanted to take some control of her financial life. She wanted to know as much as she could about personal finance (savings, checking and taxes). We also explored credit cards and the movement of money electronically. She was a deeply curious student and had a great deal of interest in the subject. Her curiosities and questions guided our finance sessions.
A group of sixth graders were particularly interested in understanding how a company worked and how we could understand its performance from its financial statement. They could not believe how much we could find out about a company; they were in awe when I explained that every public company could be analyzed in this same way.
A seventh grader wanted to understand how companies make money. To make these concepts more accessible, I broke up the information into manageable discussion topics and related them to his personal finance experience. This helped him to better understand his own financial life as well as how companies worked.
Teaching finance to younger students is so important. They are highly interested in the topic and so many math and critical thinking skills can be reinforced and applied in a real context. It also helps younger students to develop respect and responsibility for managing money. I know many adults who struggle with basic finance concepts; it’s unfortunate because these concepts are really accessible. Developing financial literacy is critically important for learners of all ages. And my goal is to make it fun and intuitive!
Museums are fantastic places for learning and exploring the world around us. Where else can you find a dinosaur soaring 100 feet and a starry night indoors? Often times, bringing young kids to museums can be daunting. Here are some tips to make your next museum experience a stress-free adventure.
If you think about your life as a class, there’s something to be learned from every experience. From adventures and accolades to setbacks and sorrows, even the smallest moment can have a big impact on how you move through the world. ~Oprah Winfrey
Dr. Aronson-Ramos is pleased to offer Developmental Pediatric Consultations. Her practice is devoted to children, teens, and young adults with developmental delays, learning difficulties, behavioral challenges and other neuro-developmental problems. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of: Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Developmental Delays, Anxiety Disorders, Genetic Disorders, and Learning Disabilities. Her approach to treatment and diagnosis is comprehensive and family focused, to address the complex nature of the challenges a child or adolescent faces at home, in school, with peers and in understanding him or herself.
Several years ago, my wife and I decided to give up the gym and commit fully to our yoga practice. Having worked with some really talented instructors and friends over the past number of years, choosing a studio that offered the array of practices and schedule we wanted seemed daunting. But then Pure Yoga opened on the Upper West Side, and we became huge fans. Their tagline is “many practices, one intention,” and for us they really delivered on that promise.