Learning Financial Literacy Doesn't Mean You Can't Have Fun Too!
Help me give my students an opportunity to tie fun strategy games into real-world financial literacy lessons!
FULLY FUNDED! Mx. Surfus's classroom raised $383
This project is fully funded
My Students
The students I interact with on a daily basis are always ready for the next challenge. They can be bull-headed, arrogant, prideful to a fault, and definitely confrontational but, as I have learned the hard way, this only makes them more capable of solving problems in unique ways. I have really been forced to step up my game as a teacher to meet them at their level!
My students can be the change we want to see in this world, we just need to show that we believe in them.
I was constantly warned away from taking a job teaching in an under-served, urban school. This fear was worsened when I started reading some statistics that came from my school district and my school specifically. However, my students have proven all of these accusations wrong. They are ready to take their learning to the next level and they deserve everything this world has to offer.
My Project
Everyone has seen the same handful of projects that are supposed to teach financial literacy to the next generation. Spend a million dollars, track your purchases, file fake taxes, etc. While there is nothing wrong with these approaches, I have learned that my students have seen these all over and over again. Maybe it is time for a new approach!
Board games are a great way for students to cooperate, be social, have fun, and build real-world skills in a meaningful environment.
As an added bonus, no electronics! The games that I have chosen to include come from a variety of sources and is designed to offer a diverse style of games to reach the broadest audience possible. I spoke with local game store owners, online gaming groups, and drew from my personal experience to find games that focus on different financial literacy principals.
Some concepts that can be learned from these games are risk assessment in Ponzi Scheme, preparing for the future by saving in Terraforming Mars, working with others in Raccoon Tycoon, bargaining and auctioning in Power Grid, comparative shopping in Catan, employee management in Acquire, and math skills in all of the games.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mx. Surfus and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
