Next week, we will release easy-to-implement discussion worksheets to go along with personal finance-related movies. NGPF tasked the creation of these discussion worksheets to intern Laura Barnds, a rising high school senior in California, who wrote these questions for students from her own student perspective. Laura shares her reflection on her internship at NGPF:

"When I was first tasked with watching personal finance movies and writing discussion questions for them, I felt excited for the opportunity. Earlier this year, I discovered NGPF through family members who were familiar with the organization, and I recently joined the team as a summer intern.

My school does not guarantee any personal finance classes in its curriculum. Therefore, I was looking forward to learning more about finance while creating resources to help teachers from a student perspective, and I was not disappointed.

Even in my first few days of working on this project, I had the opportunity to learn about various topics and reflect in the process of writing the questions. For example, the documentary Broken Eggs opened my eyes to the reality that the Social Security funds will most likely become exhausted by the time I retire. Upon learning this I was astounded, and after asking some of my peers I found that no one my age was aware of this serious issue.

Additionally, from documentaries Broke, Busted, and Disgusted, I gained knowledge about student loans, and the importance of paying them off as early as possible to avoid higher payments in interest. Again, this was my first time learning anything about this important topic.

Overall, this experience cemented my belief that personal finance classes are essential for high school students who will soon go to college and enter adulthood, as there is a great deal they must know to properly conduct themselves financially. Personally, I am very thankful for this experience and my newly acquired knowledge. I hope to continue studying personal finance in my college courses, and I know that this project has been a wonderful introduction."

About the Author

Guest Post