I was working with a group of second graders last week. The topic was needs vs. wants. All of my money classes begin with this discussion as knowing the difference is the beginning of effectively managing money. So when we got to the activity part of the lesson, kids were cutting out pictures from magazines and pasting them on their mini-poster. The poster was divided into two sections…needs and wants. It’s fun for me to walk around the room and talk…
Last night was Back-to-School night at Ryan’s middle school. For two hours parents rotate through their child’s class schedule to get the low-down on the upcoming year. For me, it’s also a chance to see people I haven’t seen in a while. So there I was, sitting in the gym setting up a carpool for cross country, when the PE teacher began his schpeel. I happen to be very pleased with the program at the school. It’s well defined and all kids are…
Every Monday I pop $5 into a special pocket of both my boys’ backpacks. The money is to cover two days of eating lunch in the school cafeteria. They could pick any two days but need to let me know in advance because, yes it’s true, I still pack their bag lunches on non-cafeteria days. One Monday I noticed that there were two dollar bills in Ryan’s special pocket. If there had been two dollars and fifty cents I wouldn’t…
I started teaching summer math camps in 2002 for elementary aged kids. I must admit the reason for teaching them was selfish. As a former classroom teacher who emphasized hands-on learning I wanted my two boys to be exposed to the activities I taught my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. My boys are older now (13 and 15) but they still come with me when I teach the camps. The reasons are different. Working with small groups of kids, Nathan,…