What Arkansas Educators Are Saying About Economic Education!

Economics Arkansas receives feedback from teachers across the state who are attending our economic education workshops and participating in our programs.  We want to share what they are saying about this “real life” education!

Why do you feel teaching economic ideas to your students is important?

• Economic education is essential if students today are prepared to be decision-making adults of tomorrow.  Personal Finance concepts and economic ideas are lifelong skills.  Introducing and reinforcing these concepts while students are young will ensure the successful application throughout their lives.  Economic education is the “real world” piece that makes learning complete. 

Marsha Masters, Chenal Elementary School
Pulaski County Special School District

• Economics is about real life.  It focuses strongly on making good decisions and recognizing the consequences of these decisions.  Students need to understand that they must make choices and cannot “have it all.”  They must give up something in order to have something else.  It is so important for everyone to realize this, especially in a society that puts emphasis on getting the best, newest, and biggest things you can find.  Students should also have a grasp on the concept of money.  It does not grow on trees, and they need to know from where it comes and how difficult it is to earn.  They also need to know the benefits and pitfalls of credit and credit cards.  Too many people look at credit as free money, not realizing they must pay it back with interest.

Sarah Glenn, Huntsville Intermediate School
Huntsville School District

• Most of my students lack experiences outside their immediate community, and teaching economic ideas assists them in applying real life situations to comprehend complex concepts.  Primary students are naturally inquisitive and approach new ideas with a vigor that is intoxicating.  Allowing students to discover how our economy operates and functions at a young age only strengthens their ability to critically think and analyze situations.

Valarie Harp, Hartford Elementary School
Hartford School District

• I have heard this idea and firmly believe it – without economics, no single day can pass.  The economic concepts of supply and demand, wants versus needs, choices, opportunity costs and decision-making are all inherent parts of my students’ daily lives.  In other words – they live through these decisions daily and need to understand them.  I believe to understand these and other basic economic ideas are the beginning of them understanding their own lives.

Barry White, Hot Springs Middle School
Hot Springs School District

• I believe that teaching economic ideas to my students is important because economics empowers our youth to become effective decision-makers.

Pamela Dickson, Norman Middle School
Crossett School District

• We need only to reflect on the headlines of the last three months to understand the impact of employment issues, financial bailouts, and stock market swings to grasp the urgency in teaching the next generation the basic fundamentals of economic education.

Nancy Archer, Jacksonville Girls Middle School
Pulaski County Special School District

How do you see economic education making a difference in your students’ lives?

• The businesses created through my Economics Arkansas grant project have given my students an understanding of key economic concepts and built a bridge between reading and math to real life skills they will use every day.

William Peak, Eureka Springs High School
Eureka Springs School District

• A difference I noticed within my students’ lives is the awareness they now have.  Aware of how far their money will go or aware of the opportunity costs they must make to enable them to be smarter consumers and profitable producers.  I want them to be the generation that improves the financial outlook within their lifetime.  If we teach it now-they will be better economic leaders of tomorrow.

Rhonda Kobylinski, Grace Hill Elementary School
Rogers School District

• I see it making a difference in my students’ lives when they start saving their own money and stop and think before they spend.

Jenny Humble, Grace Hill Elementary School
Rogers School District

• An economic education is part of a well-rounded education and students can do nothing but benefit from exposure to it.  Many careers will require an understanding of economics.  It enables my students to grasp a variety of real world issues including why prices fluctuate for some goods more than others (i.e. gas prices).  Supplying my students with an understanding of economics empowers them to live.

Barry White, Hot Springs Middle School
Hot Springs School District

• We are doing a disservice to our students, beginning at the primary level, if we do not prepare them to make educated decisions concerning future jobs and options for saving, investing, and spending money.

Nancy Archer, Jacksonville Girls Middle School
Pulaski County Special School District

What made you decide to start (or continue) a program in economics in your own classroom?

• I decided to implement a program in economics as an interesting way to teach my new fourth grade Arkansas standards.  Hands-on learning is a more concrete way to see how a mini-business actually operates.  I also wanted to create a connection between literature books and economic concepts.

Rhonda Kobylinski, Grace Hill Elementary School
Rogers School District

• After attending two economics workshops with several teachers from my school, we realized it would help our students if we spent more time on economics.

Christine Arnold, Immaculate Conception School
Catholic Schools of Arkansas

• My passion for economic education was ignited by Economics Arkansas.  The programs and workshops are the best of the best.  The staff are all highly qualified professionals filled with passion, integrity and support.  By participating in various professional development opportunities offered by Economics Arkansas, I began to see a real need for incorporating economics in my classroom.  A sense of urgency for teaching economics began to grow.

Pamela Dickson, Norman Middle School
Crossett School District

What do you believe are the long term effects such economic education programs have on students? Your community? The nation?

• The long-term effects of economic education on my students is a better understanding of money and the world of work; on my community – a more work-ready work force; and for our nation – citizens that can make wise economics decisions to keep it financially sound.

William Peak, Eureka Springs High School
Eureka Springs School District

• Educators strive to prepare students to be successful, productive citizens.  Because we live interdependently in a global society, everyone benefits from economically literate individuals.  Economic education is vital…for everyone’s sake!

Marsha Masters, Chenal Elementary School
Pulaski County Special School District

• An economic education, just as literacy and mathematics, is vital to our students, our community and our nation.  The students are our future.  Just as they should be able to read and process math, they should be equipped to handle personal finances and make sound investments.  Students should be empowered to analyze problems in their lives and make sound decisions.  An economic education will provide them this.  Students should be able to understand economic issues such as the recent economic bailout our country was faced with.  By providing a well-rounded education that includes economics, we invest in our students, our community and our nation.

Barry White, Hot Springs Middle School
Hot Springs School District

• With today’s economic crisis, we see how important it is for people to make informed economic decisions.  Knowing how to manage money and run businesses will help our students become successful rather than dependent adults.  Through an economic education, our students will also learn how, historically, economic decisions have affected their community, the nation, and the world.

Christine Arnold, Immaculate Conception School
Catholic Schools of Arkansas

• I believe the long-term effects of economic education programs for students, our community and our nation can have an enormous impact.  For students, economic education creates an enriching guide for their current and future decision-making responsibilities.  Our community can be profoundly and forever changed by prepared, well-informed, educated citizens actively engaged in wise economic decisions.  Our nation, currently in economic crisis, can grow through wise members of our society.  America can once again become empowered when all of her citizens exercise problem-solving strategies learning for real life circumstances.

Pamela Dickson, Norman Middle School
Crossett School District

• Students in the middle school years are beginning to make decisions about their future.  Their decisions will impact the local, state, and national economy of tomorrow.  It is imperative that educators not wait until students reach job force age to begin teaching economic concepts.

Nancy Archer, Jacksonville Girls Middle School
Pulaski County Special School District