I apologize to those of you who have already read my little tirade, but I thought it was applicable to teaching social justice related issues and social responsibility in the classroom. It just really fits with teaching more than content in the classroom- so here goes.
Today we sat through a presentation by the "Smart Cookies"- women who have overcome debt in their lives and now go around helping people, students included, to live fiscally responsible lives. This sounds great, nu?
But on my walk home, I had a lot of time to ponder the Smart Cookies' presentation. While I agree wholeheartedly that students DO need to have life and financial skills, and that these should be taught in school, the whole presentation left a sour taste in my mouth. I think it's great that these women are seeking to educate students about fiscal responsibility and staying out of debt, so I have no issues with their motives. But, I couldn't help but feel that the presentation came off a bit as being "make more money to make you happy" -ish.
If I step on some toes here, sorry 'bout that. The presentation was very focused on the individual- what you want and what you need and how you will get that for yourself. This makes sense in the goal setting arena- we need to set goals for ourselves, and goals are good. They're also essential in helping students succeed. My issue is when goals become so detached from the larger picture that we begin to wade into dangerous waters. What about connecting students to the larger community? What about asking them how their goals might affect others? What about asking them to think about the consequences of choosing a particular lifestyle? Not just personal consequences, but local, national and global consequences? I'm not saying students must choose a particular lifestyle, but rather that they should be encouraged to think about the impact that their choices- even seemingly "personal" financial ones- can have on the world.
Some people say that's too much of a burden to put on the shoulders of youth. But really, in light of the different crises that are faced by people in the world every day (think environment, human rights issues, food security...), can we really afford to teach that our own goals and achievements matter most in the world? I'll admit that I fall into this trap of thinking from time to time. But I'm willing to be shaken out of that trap as well, albeit sometimes reluctantly.
What about the bigger issues around consumerism? What about ethics? It's true that we live in a capitalist society and you can't get away without buying stuff- that's how our society works. But, shouldn't we be teaching kids to consider from whom and where they purchase things, or asking them to consider the global ethical implications of living the high rolling lifestyle- even if they can personally afford it?
Make no mistake, I'm not advocating ignorance or asceticism or anything like that. I simply think we need to place financial skills and "goal setting" within the larger context of society and help students to make personally and socially responsible- ethical- decisions. What impact does your spending have on your family, community- the street kid in India? Do you even have to care about the street kid in India? Maybe that's not the "purpose" of the planning 10 course, but I feel that it should be addressed. Just because we can afford to do something doesn't mean that we should .
Our lives aren't just about us- it's time to start looking past the end of our own nose.
Toe stomping complete.
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4 comments:
I was thinking the same throughout the presentation, Georgia. It frustrated me that the Smart Cookies really side-stepped around the question concerning consumerism. I thought, do I really want to use these women as a good example for my classroom? They have a great system that works for them, and the information they gave out was valuable, but do we really want another spokespeople who supports the rapid consumerism in our country? I was honestly taken aback when they said that they consign their clothes every season so that they could buy a new wardrobe. Do we really want to teach our kids that material goods can just be bought and thrown away when we're tired of them?
I personally don't plan on using anything from the 'Smart Cookies' in my classrooms.
I wanted to hold up a placard that said "More stuff is not the answer" but didn't have any posterpaper with me. ;)
Amen. /agree. Yup. While I may have agreed with some of the things they said I have little respect for them as human beings. I know that may sound harsh...or may not if you know me well...but there it is. Too much about managing your budget so you can buy more clothes.
Agreeably i didn't find that i got a TON out of the Smart Cookies presentation... i left feeling a bit like 'get yourself on Oprah and you can quit your day job...' (that's a whole other issue!) but i have to say, although i certainly respect and agree with much of the reflection regarding consumerism etc, i wouldn't go as far to say i that i can't respect them as human beings or that i won't use a single thing of what they said in my classrooms.
For me it comes down to issue of financial literacy and knowing the basics of how managing money works. What's coming in, what's going out and where is it going out to. I think the notion of where it is going out to opens up a tremendous opportunities for discussion on what is really important in life. You could take that as far as you'd like i'm sure in discussing the effects of our consumerism. But bottomline students would seriously benefit from learning the basics whether it will be used for basic household budgets or for when they grow up to run some non-profit organization to end starvation. Planning 10 seems like a logical place to do that.
I just think you can take what you want and leave what you don't from this kind of presentation but the bottom line is that financial literacy should be taught, even if it's just the basics. It does not need to represent the kind of lifestyles these women had; but to judge that lifestyle isn't going to benefit the students who may choose to live that lifestyle. I think as teachers we are there to open up their world, but not to judge it.
I think that if a teacher can open up the Planning 10 curriculum to include further discussion on the topic as disscussed on the blog that would be spectacular. I also think that students would benefit from those types of discussions if you can get it into Socials or anywhere! My school had an amazing Global Perspectives course that included trips to build various facilities in places like Haiti etc. There are alot of opportunities to bring these bigger issues to students; they just need to be found... or made.
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