Project School Wellness

Why Financial Literacy Is Important for Students

Janelle Kay — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 17:00:32 +0000

Why Financial Literacy Is Important for Students

10 Reasons to Teach Financial Health

Financial Health Impacts Everything

I wholeheartedly believe that Financial Health should be a fundamental part of every health education experience. Now, I know this may seem a little odd, but hear me out. Money is one of those things that permeates every aspect of life. If we don’t know how to manage money (no matter our income level) and don’t have access to enough financial resources it can be a huge stressor, deeply impacting well-being.

It can create conflict in relationships. It can deteriorate a person’s emotional and mental health. It can motivate people to stay in jobs they hate. It can push people into dangerous and desperate situations. And the stress of all of this can wear down a person’s physical body. Simply put, money profoundly impacts well-being (read more).

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Wait, But What is Financial Literacy?

The basis of living financially healthy is understanding financial literacy principles. The term financial literacy refers to the skills and knowledge that allow a person to make educated and thoughtful decisions relating to their money.

While there are many skills and pieces of functional knowledge needed to build financial literacy, these are the five I focus on teaching my students: budgeting, giving back, investing, spending wisely, and saving. Practicing these skills on a regular basis help bring financial stability!

10 Reasons Why Financial Literacy is Important for Students

If I haven’t convinced you yet, let me quickly share 10 reasons why financial health needs to be a part of your health curriculum.

1. It's a basic survival need - We need money to survive, therefore learning how to manage money is a fundamental life skill

2. If kids aren't learning it at home, how are they going to learn? And if they are learning it at home, school can help reinforce good behavior

3. Financial literacy is relevant and practical, something students will need to practice every day of their lives!

4. Teaching students how to secure a good salary does not insure Financial Health and stability or guarantee that they know how to manage money (it just might mean that they have more margin for error). They have to actually learn the basic skills.

5. Starting young can help prevent a major financial crisis before it actually happens (especially when it comes to credit cards and building bad debt)

6. The financial system is actively working to take advantage of financially illiterate people (think credit cards, high interest loans, etc)

7. The stress of financial insecurity is soul-crushing (not an exaggeration)

8. Financial security plays a key role in empowering people to thrive as it connects to all of the dimensions of health

9. Even though kids aren't financially independent now, one day they will need to be and they won’t automatically learn financial literacy skills, they must be taught and nurtured

10. Financial literacy is complex and complicated and by integrating it into the health curriculum throughout the entire school experience, we can build a lasting foundation

Moral of the Story: Teach Financial Health

Truthfully, the list could go on and on. But hopefully, I’ve made a compelling argument not only for why Financial Literacy education is important but also for why Financial Health should be an aspect of every comprehensive health education program. If our goal is to empower students to build sustainable health and happiness, becoming financially literate is fundamental.

Free Intro to Health Unit Plans

We've got you covered! Get instant access to five free health lesson plans for in-person or digital instruction.

Hello. I'm Janelle!

A middle school health teacher turned curriculum developer (and #WAHM). I'm on a mission to share the easiest-to-teach, most impactful health lesson plans on the Internet. Because your time and energy is better spent on teaching and connecting, not on planning and prep.

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Jimmy Fallon’s Unexpected Anti-Bullying Lesson Plan

Janelle Kay — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 03:03:00 +0000

Jimmy Fallon’s Unexpected Anti-Bullying Lesson Plan

A quick and easy anti-bullying lesson plan

A Prank That is Actually the Perfect Tool for Teaching Anti-Bullying

I'm not sure if Jimmy Fallon realizes this or not, but this clip of Yankee fans booing Robinson Cano is quite possibly the perfect discussion starter for a talk on cyberbullying.

The fans are happy, even giddy, to boo a picture of Cano. But as soon as he's standing in front of them, they instantly change their demeanor. They are friendly and kind and they stand in awe.

It's a perfect look at how easy it is to become a bully when we're hiding behind a screen. We feel bold enough to say things we would never say to another human's face when we don't have to acknowledge the pain and hurt we cause.

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A Simple Discussion & Anti-Bully Learning Activity

So how can you use this clip as an anti-bullying lesson plan in your classroom? Here's an outline for using this clip to launch a discussion on cyberbullying in your classroom (of course, adapt however you see fit!):

Watch the video clip (Please preview it first as there are some bleeped out words).

Then, in pairs, ask students to discuss the following:
- What did fans do when they saw a photo of Robinson Cano?
- How did the fans treat the real Robinson Cano?
- How were these two interactions different?
- What caused fans to act differently?

Next, as a class, connect the video to cyberbullying. Explain how the fans' actions are similar to posting negative comments, sharing photos/videos with a person's consent to boost your social capital, talking about a person behind their back, etc. The video shows just how easy it is to say things about and to people when it's just a screen when you don't actually have to acknowledge the impact your actions and words have on another person.

Wrap up the discussion by challenging students to always ask, "Would I say this to their face?" And if the answer is no, then don't post it.

I hope this quick and easy anti-bullying lesson is impactful for your students! And if you have other clips that make for great discussion starters, please send them my way!

Free Intro to Health Unit Plans

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Teaching Values to Students in Health Education

Janelle Kay — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 15:33:00 +0000

Teaching Values to Students in Health Education

How I teach students to identify their core values

Teaching Values

Did you know that teaching values to students is a fundamental aspect of comprehensive health education? I know it may sound a little odd at first, and most people wouldn’t combine values with health education. But, let me tell you, values play a huuuuuge role in living a life of optimal well-being.

How? Well, let’s explore.

What are Values?

Let’s start with the basics and define “values.” Values refer to a group of characteristics, ideas, or areas of life that are important to you and matter deeply to you. They are the fundamental beliefs guiding your life. Values matter and are incredibly important because they influence how a person thinks, acts, and feels and they help to filter right from wrong. Essentially values empower people to be unique individuals.

While values deeply connect to health skills (i.e. analyzing influences, decision making, goal setting, advocacy) and the multiple dimensions of health as they are formed, nurtured, and expressed throughout all areas of life, they play the biggest role within our Spiritual Health.

Values and Spiritual Health

So what exactly is Spiritual Health and why do values so deeply impact it? You see, Spiritual Health (not to be confused with religion) refers to living with passion and purpose, in accordance with your core values and with a moral compass (knowing the difference between right and wrong).

And if we break down the key aspects of Spiritual Health, we’ll see that values are at the center of each element.

Understanding and identifying what our values are empowers us to live with passion and purpose

To live in accordance with our values, we must first be actively aware of what our values are

Our values help distinguish what is “right” and “wrong” in life and guide our behavior to act accordingly

Values are fundamentally important and when we are living with passion and purpose, in accordance with our values, and with a moral compass we feel at peace and centered. Both of which are critical if we’d like to live thriving lives full of health and happiness.

Values and the Health Skills

As I briefly mentioned, values also deeply relate to students' ability to effectively execute the fundamental health skills. For example:

Advocacy - At its core, advocacy (for self or others) is the act of standing up for what you value and believe in

Decision Making- The key to making healthy decisions is to make values-based decisions. Values-based decision making simply means that an individual makes decisions based on their personal values rather than the values of others. Do effectively make values-based decisions, students must first understand what their values are.

Goal Setting - When setting goals it’s important to relate goals to personal values. This is a great way to make sure that the desired outcome is actually something worth working towards and to boost the likelihood of staying focused and energized throughout the entire process.

Free Intro to Health Lesson Plan

How to Teach Students Values

So how do we teach students values? Let me share my process (of course feel free to adapt it to fit the needs of your students).

Step 1: Define "Values"

I start by sharing the definition of values with students. Generally, I don’t expect them to fully understand it by just hearing the definition, as it’s a bit vague.

Step 2: Make a List of Most Important Things

After sharing the definition, students make a list of 5-10 of the most important things in their life.

Step 3: Be a Values Detective

Next, students take the list and become a detective. As a detective, I ask them to look at each item on their list and to define possible core values related. Now, this process can be a little bit confusing, so I often share the following example:

Let’s say I wrote “playing basketball” on my list. Now, basketball itself isn’t a core value. But it does relate to a number of core values, such as challenging, competition, dedication, discipline, grit, teamwork, work ethic, etc.

Teaching Resource: List of 500 Core Values

Step 4: Define Core Values

Then, students choose the value(s) they feel most connected to for each item on their list. The values that are defined as most important are a students' core values. It's important to note to students that it's normal for some values to shift and evolve throughout life. That is all part of growing up and experiencing a full life.

Once students have defined their core values, I have them make a visual representation of the goals. Then, we either put this up in the classroom or if they have a binder, they can stick it their. I like students to create a visual so it becomes a simple reminder of what their values are and helps keeps them accountable. It also is a great tool for when students are not acting according to the values and they need a little redirection.

Focusing on Values

I really can’t stress enough how important it is to teach values to students. Values are one of those things that even if they aren’t talked about often or put at the forefront of our attention, they still seep into every aspect of our lives, impacting and influencing our well-being in profound ways. And I wholeheartedly believe that the more aware we are of our values and the critical role they play in determining our well-being, the more we can take control and ownership of our well-being.

Focusing on values challenging students to identify, define, and live by theirs!

Free Intro to Health Unit Plans

We've got you covered! Get instant access to five free health lesson plans for in-person or digital instruction.

Hello. I'm Janelle!

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