A Real Life Education: Planning for the future

June 2, 2015

A Junior Achievement Program tiptoed into one of our high school classrooms this spring, delivered a curriculum that fostered work-readiness and financial literacy skills and left our students wanting more.

The overall theme taught during this program was to be proactive and plan for life; look for options and then plan wisely.

Mr. Beresford, our Junior Achievement representative, utilized cooperative learning while considering the individual learning process. Our young adults worked through activities that helped them problem solve the cost of raising children and sending them to college as well as what to do for various unplanned events and situations.  Students explained and discussed what it meant to make good decisions, shared information regarding numerous careers and salaries, as well as looked at how to plan in case something goes wrong.

Mr. Beresford planned experiences to help our young adults work through the steps to make decisions regarding investments.  They discussed insurance options and money management strategies and completed various real-life scenarios. Mr. Beresford suggested they learn how much it cost to rent an apartment, buy groceries and acquire some type of transportation.

Our high school students look forward to the time when they will be able to live on their own.

Not only have they learned through Junior Achievement, but they have attended programs at Northeast Iowa College to start planning for the future.  Some students have toured the University of Dubuque and have already taken the ACT.  All of our high school students attended our Career Fair on April 17th.

We are grateful to Mr. Beresford for working with our students to prepare them for the future.  They learned valuable, real world lessons that helped prepare them for their life outside of our doors.

– Christine Davis, 9-12 Administrator at Anna B. Lawther Academy from Hillcrest Family Services