Business education teacher Cassandra Mosley of Moultrie, Georgia received the NGPF Distinguished Educator award in December after completing seven certification courses last year.  Here are the seven she completed: Credit, Taxes, Career, Banking and Budgeting, Consumer Skills, Psychology of Money, and Cryptocurrency Basics. Cassandra teaches at C.A. Gray Junior High School.  Let’s learn more about Cassandra and what drives her passion for personal finance.

Tell us about yourself, how you came to learn about personal finance yourself, and what motivated you to teach your people about it?

I grew up watching my parents live paycheck to paycheck. Nevertheless, my father managed to put some money aside for difficult times. Therefore, I grew up with similar money habits. Through the years, I read books and articles about money management tips. Putting those tips into practice was not easy, especially at a young age. The more I learned about personal finance, the more I wanted to learn.

I finally realized the importance of practicing good money management when I began to reach some of the financial goals that I set for myself. Life experiences have taught me the value of having and maintaining excellent credit. I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how much money you earn. If you don’t manage your money well, regardless of how much money you possess, you’ll end up with nothing. Little by little, I began to save and invest money. 

I have a passion to educate teenagers and young adults about personal finance in hopes that they will develop money management skills at a young age. The sooner teenagers and young adults learn about money management, the greater the potential of avoiding money management pitfalls.

Please tell us about your school and community.  What activities do your students enjoy the most, and how can you tell they are “getting it?”

I teach at a Title I junior high school in a rural southwestern community. The student population is approximately 1300+ students. I teach Foundations of Investing and Finance to 13-14 year-old students. (This is an 18 week exploratory course.) Some of the topics that spark their interest are the types of credit, potential earnings in various careers, and investing. One of their favorite activities was NGPF’s Shady Sam Loan Shark game. The accompanying reflection worksheet really opened their eyes to the importance of reading the fine print and the importance of distinguishing between good and bad money habits.

One of the ways that I know that I’ve gotten through to students is when I hear them repeating important financial concepts in their casual conversations.  

In a follow-up conversation with Cassandra, she mentioned that the students are quite surprised at how much payday lenders can make, and that often on the Shady Sam reflection sheet when asked “how did you feel,” many students say they feel like they were robbing the customers and felt badly.  In general, Cassandra stated that games have been a lifesaver working with this age group.  She loves the accompanying worksheets.

Can you fill us in on your favorite NGPF professional development experience.  What have you been able to incorporate in your classroom, and what is your favorite NGPF curriculum element or activity? 

I am grateful for the NGPF experience through the professional development opportunities I’ve had the privilege to participate in. It is difficult to pinpoint just one professional development experience because every course, whether on-demand or virtual PD, have taught me something of value I can share with my students as well as make improvements in my personal life.

NGPF provides a plethora of valuable resources ranging from mini units to 9-week or semester course options, as well as learning opportunities through arcade games that have accompanying reflection worksheets. I have learned how to customize the unit plans and make use of the mini lessons offered through NGPF. I love when students can actively participate in learning new lessons through such tools as Nearpod and arcade games. I rely heavily on the unit lesson plans with the accompanying Nearpod and YouTube videos. Students love the “Time to Climb” activity when included in the Nearpod.

Cassandra has become adept at including “Time to Climb” in many of her lessons.

Do you have any other wise words you would like to share with this community? 

Offering personal finance to students early in life is long overdue, in my opinion. I wish I’d had this opportunity when I was in school. I probably would have been further along financially than I am now. 

Cassandra is looking forward to Personal Finance being a high school requirement in Georgia, and hopes that her students will get to follow up on more subjects and in more depth than she is able to cover in her one-semester class at the Junior High level.

About the Author

Beth Tallman

Beth Tallman entered the working world armed with an MBA in finance and thoroughly enjoyed her first career working in manufacturing and telecommunications, including a stint overseas. She took advantage of an involuntary separation to try teaching high school math, something she had always dreamed of doing. When fate stepped in once again, Beth jumped on the opportunity to combine her passion for numbers, money, and education to develop curriculum and teach personal finance at Oberlin College. Beth now spends her time writing on personal finance and financial education, conducts student workshops, and develops finance curricula and educational content. She is also the Treasurer of Ohio Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.