This is a bit of a personal post, but I want to document the process of teaching a class on financial literacy, assuming I am approved to teach.
Today, I took the Working in Support of Education (W!se) Certification in Personal Finance Test, and passed! Granted, I scored the equivalent of a B-, but as the old adage goes:
"What do you call a med school student who graduates last in their class?"
"Doctor."
Cliches aside, I was overjoyed to hear the news. I basically crammed for one night while I was doing laundry, so it was probably my experience in the financial services industry, coupled with an obsession with the personal finance subreddit, that helped carry me to a passing score.
I have a meeting scheduled with the manager of a nearby community center this Friday, and if he's satisfied with my certification, the next step will be getting approval from his superiors. I feel confident that the certification exam was the biggest hurdle to teaching personal finance as a volunteer, besides the fact that I've never taught a day in my life.
So -- assuming I get approved, if you live in NYC and think this class could benefit you, feel free to comment or click the "Contact" link in the menu on the left. I will lay out the details in a subsequent post if I'm approved, and once the meeting frequency and length of the course are finalized.
Depending on how my meeting on Friday goes, I'll start to do some heavier research on YouTube, Reddit, and anywhere else I can use as a resource for planning a syllabus. Probably should pick up a few books, as well.
I anticipate that my biggest hurdle, should I be allowed to teach, will be reaching my audience. I was constantly bored in school, and I don't want to inflict that on others. Learning should be engaging, sometimes even exciting! Even though this material is very dry.
Finally, I'm happy to be certified because the prospect of teaching this class means a lot to me. To be frank, I don't have much of a life right now -- I work, come home, go on my computer, and sleep. This would give me a reason to look forward to coming home every weeknight.
Once again, stay tuned for more updates, and if you have any suggestions on how to make teaching engaging, please leave a comment! Until next time.