Throughout August and September, high school teachers and students across the United States will return to school to attend classes. Unfortunately, some students nationwide will not be required to take the most important class that will follow them throughout high school and their lives as adults. Personal Finance is a course that teaches students about various topics they will use in the present and the future. Personal Finance covers different issues such as alternatives to college, banking, behavioral psychology, budgeting, careers, college consumer skills, credit, cryptocurrency, insurance, investing, taxes, and more. Personal Finance allows students to gain the abilities and skills necessary to be successful with money.

When I talk to other adults and tell them that I teach Personal Finance, they all tell me they wish they would have had the chance to take the class in school. Most adults feel like they would have been able to avoid some of the financial mistakes they have made, and I have the same sentiments on the subject matter. According to the 2024 Survey of the States from the Council for Economic Education, 88% of adults in the United States agreed their state should require a mandatory Personal Finance course to graduate. Eight in ten adults wish they would have been required to take at least one semester of Personal Finance before they graduated high school.

The good news is that the requirement to have Personal Finance is trending in the right direction. According to the National Endowment for Financial Education, 26 states require a mandatory standalone Personal Finance course to graduate high school. This means that state lawmakers and legislation are headed in the right direction, but it is still only 52% of the country, which means there is a lot of work to be done trying to get other states to create required standalone Personal Finance courses. You can track bills introduced in each state and see their progress using Next Gen Personal Finance’s bill tracker. Next Gen Personal Finance is a non-profit organization that advocates for financial literacy and helps transform the Personal Finance classroom through the curriculum and development of educators nationwide and beyond. Next Gen Personal Finance’s Mission 2030 is an effort to guarantee a Personal Finance course for at least a semester for all students in all states by the year 2030. The organization will even give tools to advocates seeking to change their school, district, or state through their advocacy toolkit.      

As a veteran Personal Finance teacher, I tell all my students that my class is the most important class they will ever take. I truly believe that statement because students can transform their lives and the lives of future generations and even change their family trees through the information presented and the knowledge gained. I never had the opportunity or access to a Personal Finance course throughout my journey in education. I made many mistakes in high school, college, and as a young adult that could have been avoided if I had had the proper knowledge in middle school and high school. I learned various lessons about finance through the mistakes I made, but it does not have to be that way for everyone. Students in the education system today do not have to take a negative path when learning about finance. They can get all of the information they need in a Personal Finance class, absorb it, and put it into practice to become individuals who are successful with money. All students in the United States deserve access and a guarantee to become financially literate through a Personal Finance course.

Links to multimedia:

2024 Survey of the States https://www.councilforeconed.org/policy-advocacy/survey-of-the-states/

National Endowment for Financial Education https://www.nefe.org/news/2024/08/respect-legislative-intent-with-youth-financial-education-requirements.aspx

Next Gen Personal Finance Advocacy Toolkit https://www.ngpf.org/advocacy-toolkit/

Next Gen Personal Finance Bill Tracker https://www.ngpf.org/bill-tracker/

The intended audience for this article is K-12 classroom teachers, administrators, advocates of Financial Literacy, and state lawmakers in charge of education policy.

Biography

Dr. Wally T. Luckeydoo is an award-winning educator located in Nashville, TN. He is the recipient of the 2024 Educator of the Year award for Tennessee Jump$tart. He advocates for Educational Technology and Financial Literacy. He is a veteran High School Personal Finance Teacher who regularly facilitates professional development and is passionate about helping students become the best versions of themselves.

Connect with Wally: @drluckeydoo 

Misbehavior is a common challenge for high school educators, particularly in specialized subjects like business, where focus is essential. However, with effective strategies, you can minimize disruptions and foster a productive learning environment. Here are the top five keys to managing misbehavior in the high school business classroom.

1. Set Clear Expectations from the Start

One of the most important steps in managing behavior is making expectations clear upfront. As the saying goes, "If the teacher doesn’t provide the structure, the students will—and it may not meet your expectations." Establish classroom rules and procedures from day one, and explain the rationale behind them. When students understand the importance of respect and participation, they're more likely to meet your expectations.

2. Be Consistent with Discipline

Consistency is crucial when enforcing rules. If consequences are applied inconsistently, students may become confused and test boundaries more often. Ensure that all students are treated fairly and that discipline is predictable. While consistency is key, flexibility can be necessary depending on the situation, but fairness should always prevail.

3. Build Relationships with Students

Positive relationships are a powerful deterrent to misbehavior. When students feel that their teacher cares about them and their success, they're more likely to stay engaged and behave appropriately. Get to know your students, show interest in their lives, and connect the course content to their experiences to build rapport and maintain a positive classroom environment.

4. Use Proactive Classroom Management

Prevent misbehavior before it starts by being proactive. Arrange the classroom to minimize distractions, use students' names often, and vary instructional methods to keep students engaged. Incorporate interactive activities, such as group projects or discussions, to make lessons more dynamic and reduce opportunities for disruption.

5. Focus on Positive Reinforcement

Rather than solely focusing on consequences, emphasize positive reinforcement. Recognize and reward good behavior through verbal praise or small incentives. When students see that their positive actions are noticed and appreciated, they're more likely to repeat those behaviors.

By implementing these five strategies—clear expectations, consistent discipline, relationship-building, proactive management, and positive reinforcement—you can create a structured and engaging business classroom where misbehavior is minimized, and learning thrives.

About the author

Joe McClary is a former business education teacher and is executive director of NBEA.

Learning the functions of management, how to be a strategic manager, and the importance of managerial soft skills are foundational skills for students to develop as they begin to build successful managerial careers. These skills are at the heart of the new edition of Principles of Management by Robert L. Dansby and Karel Sovak from G-W Publisher. This comprehensive textbook and digital resource present a framework for students to learn the five basic functions of management: planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. Throughout, the text underscores the importance of employability skills and presents over 20 career possibilities for students to consider in management, from management analyst to social media manager.

Business teachers can bring management to life with unit-opener case studies that present real workplace challenges. This aspect is critical for students as they envision themselves in positions of management. Students explore administration, business, and management roles that interest them, increasing their potential for landing a rewarding and enjoyable career. This connection between management theory and application is further expressed through engaging animations that include assessments to reinforce concepts.

Portfolios are a key feature of career exploration, allowing students to display their skills and experience, but also to show professional growth and highlight specific features of their personal career aspirations. Throughout, students will develop their own personal portfolio, with key features of their growth in management and administration roles. Portfolio development guidance allows for personal and professional use when students explore volunteer, education and training, and career opportunities. At the end of the course, students will have built a complete portfolio to support their job search that includes recommendation letters, writing samples, certificates, and more, as evidence of their abilities.

Feeling confident and motivated in their ability to build a career, students will be able to articulate functional, transferable, and soft skills they’ve learned throughout a management course with Principles of Management. Students will develop foundational skills and clear career plans as they work to achieve their career goals immediately after high school and set higher goals for the future.

NBEA newsletter subscribers can use Promo Code NBEA24POM at www.g-w.com/preview to receive a free digital preview

G-W Publishers is an NBEA Associate Member. For more information on how you can share your information with educators, view our associate membership options.

While NBEA needs every dues paying member so we can meet our obligations to our members, we understand not everyone can afford dues.  That is why we are commited to making a limited number of free membership available to those who need it. Our philosophy that anything worth having doesn't usually come free, so we ask for something simple to add value to NBEA through your participation. Here are some ways to earn a free membership:

• Partner with NBEA to deliver a 45-minute professional development webinar for your peers. Submit your proposal.
• First-year teachers get a free membership if they attend one of our "New Teacher's Survival Guide" Events. There are always approximately two of these events on the schedule at any time.
• Join the Community.NBEA.org and participate in interactions and sharing. Promotions, scholarships, freebies, and more are posted here regularly. Joining the community doesn't guarantee a free membership but NBEA regularly extends promotions for potential members.
  

Like any other business or household, NBEA depends on dues paying members to support the work of the association.  But, we don't want that to be the sole hurdle for joining.