Armstrong Teacher Emphasizes Personal Finance

A new semester just started at Armstrong High, and seniors are learning finance lessons that will stay with them the rest of their lives. James Redelsheimer teaches economics at Armstrong. He says a big part of that is teaching kids about personal finance.

He’s got some innovative ways to get his lessons across too. When we caught up with his class, students were running a college economic simulator game. The game shows how quickly debt can rack up if students make unwise decisions about spending.

Caroline Wilcox took the class last semester. She says it’s made a big difference in how she looks at college finance. The economic simulator was particularly impactful.

“As you kept going, the debt kept racking up super super fast,” says Caroline. “It was very very nervewracking to see the debt rack up so fast and then know that you’re going to experience that next year.”

Wilcox even wrote an essay about her experiences with the simulator. She entered it in a contest, and won $500. Perhaps showing what she’s learned from Redelsheimer’s class, Wilcox says she has plans for the cash.

“For educational purposes,” she says. “Probably for textbooks next year.”