Our Stories

Economist Leora Klapper Teaches Sixth Graders about Financial Literacy

September 8, 2016 by Lael S (’17) (Students)

Last Friday, sixth graders at JPDS-NC were visited by Leora Klapper, an economist at the World Bank and a parent at our school. Ms. Klapper spoke to our class about how to set a budget and manage money so that we can play a role in financing our class trip to New York City this spring. Ms. Klapper began her talk on financial literacy by reflecting upon her first summer in Washington, DC where she had an internship that paid her $2000 – she thought she was rich! However, when she figured out her monthly expenses such as housing, food, and transportation, she realized that she had very little money left over. We discussed money management and the importance of making informed choices about spending. We also talked about the importance of savings and learned that compound interest can add up over time and help you pay for big expenses such as college. At the end of the lesson, our class broke into groups to determine expenses for our New York trip and possible sources of income such as a car wash, bake sale, or various “a-thons.” We came away from Ms. Klapper’s talk with a better understanding of how to manage money and a determination to help finance our own trip. Our first trip fundraiser will be a car wash and we hope to see many members of our community there!