INTHEBLACK June 2022 - Magazine - Page 18
GET SMART
// T I M E S T H R E E
COMPILED BY SUSAN MULDOWNEY
SHOULD PERSONAL
FINANCE BE TAUGHT
IN SCHOOLS?
Budgeting, saving and responsible spending are essential life
skills that every child must learn to ensure a healthy financial
future, so should finance be part of the school curriculum?
01
C AS S A N D R A P O R T E L L I
H E A D T E A C H E R M AT H E M AT I C S ,
HUNTER SCHOOL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
As a recipient of the New South Wales Premier’s
First State Super Scholar for Financial Literacy,
I have been blessed with the time and resources
to travel the world researching ways to ensure
the next generation learn about earning,
budgeting, saving, borrowing and investing.
Australia is a lucky country in so many ways,
and we are especially lucky that money isn’t a
taboo subject in our communities; so much of
our financial literacy is learned from home.
We are also fortunate that it is embedded in
our national curriculum from the earliest years,
meaning every teacher in every grade in every
school has a part to play in shaping a child’s
understanding of finance. Unfortunately, money
is becoming more intangible, and the result is
that knowing how it ebbs and flows has become
more difficult for a young person to discern. A
series of grants from the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission (ASIC)
MoneySmart has allowed the Hunter School of
the Performing Arts to truly engage with Global
Money Week. Our Performing Arts and
MoneySmart initiatives have allowed our students
to learn through their passion for performance,
and ultimately to share this with the rest of the
country. I also believe that mentoring and
role-modelling in schools are valuable ways to
secure the next generation of financial experts.
I am so grateful to the local financial institutions
and experts in our community that present to our
students, support an annual prize or mentor a
gifted young mathematician.
_
Every teacher in every grade in every school has a
part to play in shaping a child’s understanding of
finance. Unfortunately, money is becoming more
intangible, and the result is that knowing how it
ebbs and flows has become more difficult for a
young person to discern.
18 ITB June 2022