It’s Tuesday, so time for another NGPF Podcast.

Thanks to Robbin Lussier, business teacher from Chicopee High School in Chicopee, MA for participating in this podcast. In this wide-ranging interview, Robbin’s enthusiasm for personal finance shines through with her words and actions. She advocates for a dedicated personal finance course at her school…and gets it. She searches for a solution to her professional development needs…and drives long distances to participate in it. She yearns for a curriculum that is practical and leverages technology in her classroom…and finds and implements it.

Listen to this podcast to hear Robbin’s answer to questions, including:

• In putting your course together, what topics did you consider including?
• What have you learned in the few months that you have been teaching a dedicated course?
• What do you consider effective professional development?
• What financial concepts do students seem most unfamiliar with?
• What strategies do you utilize to involve parents?

Show notes:

• Next Gen Personal Finance’s Paying for College unit (Lessons, Activities, Projects,...)
• Next Gen Personal Finance’s Activity: Making A Public Service Announcement
• Learning Economics and Finance Network (LEAF): organization in Massachusetts supporting teacher professional development with programs and workshops

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.