The October 22nd Speaker Series marked the conclusion of the inaugural My Classroom Podcast series. The weekly series was 10-15 minutes long and followed the lives and classrooms of four rock star teachers and NGPF Fellows. Each teacher was from a different area of the country, a different type of school, and currently teaching in a different environment (virtual, face-to-face, hybrid) but remain determined to make their learning environment as great as it can be during COVID.

Kerri, Tony, Courtney, and Julius all came together to talk with one another about lessons they have learned this school year. They dove headfirst into a discussion about their greatest moments this year, successful strategies they have adopted, and what they look forward to doing first in their classrooms after Covid. It has not been easy for them, and one of them shared that she nearly hit “send” on a drafted email with her resignation. 

We will forever be grateful for their time and giving back to the financial literacy community in this series.

Meet The Teachers

Details:

• 0:00~4:38 Introduction
• 4:38~10:45 Lightning round to get to know the teachers
• 10:45~15:00 Best moments of this of the school year
• 15:00~21:32 Most challenging moments
• 21:32~24:45 The differences between Spring and Fall semester this year
• 24:45~27:11 Going from in-person to virtual 
• 27:11~34:41 Tools teachers use for virtual instruction
• 34:41~38:25 Favorite personal finance topic to teach
• 38:25~42:26 Getting feedback from students
• 42:26~47:50 Taking attendance virtually
• 47:50~52:09 On Series 2 of the My Classroom Podcast

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Catch up one final time with these four, or listen for the first time and find earlier 10-15 minute episodes from the series that pique your interest. 

• Episode #1 (13 min) How they are building relationships with their students 
• Episode #2 (12 min) How they maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage stress during COVID-19
• Episode #3 (12 min) How they are balancing and helping student balance commitments beyond the classroom
• Episode #4 (14 min) Specific tools they are using in the classroom
• Episode #5 (19 min) Lesson learned this school year

About the Authors

Amanda Volz

Amanda joins the NGPF Team with over 20 years of experience teaching personal finance. During that time, she led her students to hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships, won multiple awards, and most importantly, impacted the financial lives of thousands of high school students. Amanda prides herself on being an educational leader and is constantly looking for innovative ways to make the classroom relevant, rigorous, and fun. She is a passionate advocate for financial education and has been a long-time member of the NGPF community. Fun fact - Amanda was NGPF’s first teacher account! When Amanda isn’t working, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and traveling with her husband and two children.

Brian Page

Making a difference in the lives of students through financial capability is Brian’s greatest passion. He comes to NGPF after fifteen years of public school teaching where he was the ‘11 Ohio Department of Education recipient of a Milken National Educator Award, the CEE Forbes Award winner, and a Money Magazine/CNN "Money Hero". He served on the working group for President Obama's Advisory Council on Financial Capability. He has private school experience as a Trustee for the Cincinnati Country Day School and was a past Ohio Jump$tart President. Brian holds a BBA and M.Ed. When Brian isn’t working alongside his NGPF teammates he is likely spending time with his wife, three children, and dog; hiking, or watching Ohio State football.

Ren Makino

Ren started interning at NGPF in 2014, and worked part-time through high school and college. With his knowledge growing alongside NGPF, he joined the team to work full-time after graduating from college in 2020. He is also the producer of the NGPF podcast. During his free time, he likes to try out coffees from different roasters across the world.