Comments on: We Are an Ignorant Bunch

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:17:10 +0000

A friend of mine started a program in Canada which puts kids through a summer school program to teach them about financial literacy. It is an outstanding program for adults and children.

The website for anyone who is interested is: http://www.financialiq.ca/

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:30:10 +0000

I don’t know what my credit score is and i don’t care. our condo will be paid for next month and we will then save cash to buy a bigger one later. Our cars are paid for and we have enough money to replace both (they would be clunkers, but we’re not car people and don’t care). And we have enough money set aside for unexpected repairs a clunker would need. We are fully insured and hospitals can’t turn you away. So why care about the credit score? I work for insurance and can tell you that your rates aren’t that different for good vs. bad credit scores. Also, insurance companies are paranoid about complaints. File an official complaint if you have no credit score (because you pay cash for everything) and they’ll most likely do something about it. Any future employer who turns me down based on a low or complete lack of credit score alone is not someone I want to work with. I have a fantastic job and had a horrible credit score and they didn’t care.

About the computers in the room: I was a teacher and I can tell you as avid as you are about what they are surfing, you won’t catch it all. Install a program that will let you see what they are surfing. You’ll be surprised. My husband is a teacher and is super paranoid about monitoring their sites but he caught a middle school girl surfing porn when reviewing the sites this way!

By: Dani

Dani — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:11:23 +0000

Maybe teaching financial responsiblity is a good idea for the school system. We now have sex education in schools, something that for a long time was either ignored or assumed that it would be taught in the home. It seems like a far-fetched comparison, but is it? Like sex education, money has either been ignored or assumed parents would take on the teaching and as society now shows people just don’t understand money, much like the many myths of intimate relationships.

By: We Are an Ignorant Bunch « gailvazoxlade.com < Read what Young Indians Read

We Are an Ignorant Bunch « gailvazoxlade.com < Read what Young Indians Read — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:02:37 +0000

[...] Read more from the original source: We Are an Ignorant Bunch « gailvazoxlade.com [...]

By: moneymom1

moneymom1 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:46:00 +0000

Very interesting dialogue! I am reading it with great interest because I am currently testing a program to deliver to schools in the Toronto area called Centsible Students. We want to teach basic financial literacy skills to students from SK-Gr 6. We are passionate about teaching our children about money and want to bring it to the school system – in a similar manner to Scientists in the School. My business partner and I have both worked for the Canadian Centre for Financial Literacy and are currently developing an interactive curriculum that we hope to launch in January/February. We are not affliated with any banks or investment companies, so our message is unbiased. We appreciate the concept of save, spend and share – like MoonJar Canada, that Gail talked about on one of her shows. We hope to enhance the classroom learning around budgeting, interest, debt and other related topics, and provide teachers with pre and post resources to support their teaching around money. I would love to hear feedback from this lively group – from both parents and teachers on how to make this program a success. Our website is http://www.centsiblestudents. ca. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:38:28 +0000

I don’t know my credit score, and I don’t care. Nobody’s ever turned me down a loan, and I apparently overbid on my mortgage rate because the bank jumped at my first offer. Why would I need to know what number they’ve got to determine these decisions.

Good credit scores flow from good financial choices. If you’ve made poor financial choices, taking on more debt is inherently a bad option. And worrying about all the little factors that contribute to credit score is equally pointless if your not consistently paying your bills on time, or have too much debt for your income level. Fix the behaviour and the score will follow.

As for my credit card rate…I don’t pay interest, why would I care? (I do know on one card, but that’s only because they sent me a big promotional letter about it last year when it dropped to single digits.) 31% don’t know their rate, but then something like 43% of people don’t carry balances…I’m guessing there’s substantial overlap.

By: Risa

Risa — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:52:27 +0000

Geoff, our taxes here are not high, compared with many other places in Canada, though property values are high. A 500K house here pays taxes of about 2500/yr. But we pay for it with virtually no snow removal system: the “it’ll chinook soon” method.
And I don’t know about Toronto, but here there are lots of choices (not just french immersion!) within the mainstream boards, meaning you don’t have to pay an extra $8-15K / year to send your kid to private school. Unless you want to, of course. Charter schools are sort of in the middle (some additional cost, but parents ‘pay’ with volunteer time too). There’s even a ‘blended’ homeschooling option where your kids go to classes 2 half-days per week with other homeschooled kids to work on group projects, have gym, etc. and where they run field trips every other week.
And IMO, in the long run, we all pay more having kids ill-served by the education system. Not all kids are drawn to the same things; not all learn the same way or at the same rate. And we need more schools and school systems that understand that, rather than yet more standardized curriculum and testing. JMHO.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:21:11 +0000

@ Risa – I also live in a city that offers an abundant set of educational choices (Toronto) but I woulnd’t say we’re lucky, we also pay through the nose for it (property values, taxes, the like).

By: Risa

Risa — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:34:43 +0000

Two books that really challenged some of my long-held beliefs about education are Alfie Kohn’s _The Homework Myth_ (which has study after study showing homework is of zero benefit in elementary school, and much more) and especially his _Punished By Rewards_. I’m pretty sure he’s got a website with other articles–google away.

As a former teacher, now parent and homeschooler, I have sympathy on both sides. I know how much parents want to help their children, and how difficult this can be. I also know how stretched and constrained teachers are (you can only use these resources, must cover all these topics, and for only this amount of time…oh, and adapt the program for the 1/3 of your class on IEP/IPP’s for whatever reason–LD, gifted, physical/emotional challenges, ESL, etc. Once you’ve done all that, then sure–add in whatever your passions are!) I am lucky to live in a city with an incredible wealth of choices when it comes to education: mainstream (public or catholic), french- or spanish-immersion, science- or art-based schools, back to basics schools, charter schools, waldorf schools, private schools, homeschool…to name a few. I wish all families had this sort of choice as it makes it far easier to find a good fit for your particular children.

A great online resource for kids learning to read is http://www.starfall.com. It’s free, ad-free, and very kid-friendly. Check it out–its one of the few sites I allow my sons to play on without supervision.

By: Risa

Risa — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:18:00 +0000

I’ve got a similar quote for you, Marie:

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” — Mark Twain

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:22:47 +0000

Geoff:
$200/mo is a lot of money. If you want a tax benefit, verify if you can put it under childcare expenses. You might be able to do that if it is during your work hours.

Parents should not have to fork out extra money for a decent education in Canada. Some parents go to other curriculums to find better textbooks for homework. The problem can arise when you get ahead of the teacher and then the kids are bored in class because they already know the stuff.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:21:45 +0000

Oh and I’m not sure that ‘no kids left behind’ is really garbage in and of itself. I’m not convinced that leaving a child to repeat a grade, to be a year (or more?) behind their peers, is good for the kids themselves or the younger children around them. Some kids also can catch up from being around the kids their own age, so I get the rationale behind the policy. However, my opinion may change in 5 years or so.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:17:45 +0000

Joanne, understand where your coming from. But an extra $200/month for your kid’s education seems a small price to pay, no? It is too bad that we can save for a kid’s post secondary education tax free, but pre-post-secondary is all on us though.

And your right, my son has not entered the education system yet. But I do question why you can’t assign homework to your kids yourself, outside of their schooling so it won’t matter that work isn’t sent home with them.

I also think that if I wanted to meet with my kid’s teachers, I’d meet with them. Even if it meant border-line stalking and staking out their car. And if that didn’t work, I’d do it with the principal. Then the school board superintendent, then whoever. I’m really quite shameless at times. Then I’d move them to another school.

When it comes to my kid’s education and who’s in charge, like the movies say, “There’s God, and then there’s me.”

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:58:25 +0000

I re-read my post and I was being a bit harsh and Pol I apologize. I meant no offense and only reacted to your rant against teachers which I thought was unfair. However as Sam said I went about it in an unfair manner.

I do maintain, however, that if my child were diagnosed with a learning disorder that within 3 months I’d know more about it than most teachers, and within a year know more about it than most doctors in the country. Maybe if you aren’t getting the help you need, you can find a parents advocacy group (or start one?) that has been where you are and can help get you and your child to where they need be.

Best,

Geoff.

By: joanne

joanne — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:57:17 +0000

Geoff;
I get why you have commented the way you have and I agree in part; but I have to defend *pol. I am in a situation that is exactly between you and *pol. My children are in grade 2. I am fightly like h e double hockey sticks to get their grades up – but I am fighting an uphill battle to get their teachers to communicate with us inorder to help them. At the parent teacher interview with their english teacher I told her that I can’t help my children if she (their teacher) doesn’t talk/communicate to me/us. I am willing to help my children and do so every evening – however, when there is no work being sent home to work on – how am I to help them? I don’t spend the 6.5 hours with them their teacher does to know what is on the teaching curriculum to ensure that I am reinforcing what my daughters are learning.

My daughters are struggling and have been since JK/SK. We had a meeting with their principal in June and there was talk of pulling them out of the French Immersion program that they are currently in. However, I did not want to give up without trying everything to ensure that we had done it all to give them a chance. There was even talks of IEP (ind. education plans) and a promise of communication from their teachers to ensure success. I had to end an email to their French teacher 8 weeks into school to get feedback and the first time sat down with their English teacher was at the P/T interview (beg of Dec). That to me isn’t open communication to ensure that my children succeed. We also have a “no child left beyon policy” and I think that it is garbage – if my kids needed another year in SK then they should have stayed another year instead of being sent to Grade 1 as non readers – which I found out 6 weeks into Grade 1. I was furious. We worked like crazy and got them up to the min level required for the end of Grade 1.

I am not a teacher but I am parent that wants the best education for my children. At this point it means I have to find $200.00 a month in my budget to send them to additional programs (ie; tutoring) to ensure that success because I am not getting the assistance from the school and their teachers.

Geoff; when your son enters the school system and if he is a “less than average” student – be prepared to fight for his education. I am. And it frustrates me to no end.