Howell High Students Get Special Math Lesson

All across New Jersey students are getting their first lessons in a new curriculum known as Financial Literacy. 

Unlike traditional math classes like algebra and geometry this new class teaches real life applications like how to balance a checkbook or make a budget to help students learn the value of money. 

This week a group of 90 Howell High School students got a special class when Commissioner Tom Considine of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance talked them about why the new class is so important. Considine, a New Jersey Native who went to Seton Hall University and Seton Hall Law talked about how the lessons learned are applicable to the students whether they are freshmen looking at getting their first job or seniors ready to head out into the real world. 

Among the lessons the commissioner discussed was the importance of maintaining a good credit rating and not using a credit card beyond their means. "It is an absolute certainty that the financial decisions you make today will affect the opportunities you have in the future," he said.

By preparing early, Considine said students can be ready for any unexpected events. "It is hard to plan for a flat tire, an unforeseen dental bill or any number of other possibilities," he said. "Saving money now will help you with the purchases you plan for and the ones you don't."

Considine said after the presentation that presentations like these have been done throughout the state and that they are generally well received. All told he said they have been to more than 500 high schools teaching similar lessons to more than 30 thousand students. 

The curriculum may be new, but Considine said he believes it is an important lesson to be taught. "I just think that too many people at a young age could put themselves in a bad spot," he said. "It's almost like when you're in college where once you started with a low GPA it was really hard to bring it up. If you put yourself in a bad hole from a financial perspective coming out of college it could take years to dig yourself out."