In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, when banks failed, when the stock market crashed, when houses foreclosed, it is high time to educate our students in the area of personal finance.

Students with personal finance education are more successful in their financial endeavors, and enjoy a higher quality of life, according to a recent study by Harvard Business School.

A personal finance requirement seems like the best way to prepare Staples students for their futures.

Why is there an area study requirement? The majority of students will never visit the Pacific Rim, or the deserts of the Middle East, nor the plains of Africa.

And why are three years of Physics Education required? Westport schools have consistently scored higher on the state mandated physical fitness tests than other schools, and Connecticut only requires one credit of P.E. Staples requires three.

But without knowledge in personal finance, students may have to visit the offices of the IRS when they are audited, or the bankruptcy courts when they make poor investments or mismanage their credit cards, and default on their loans.

A personal finance class would teach students how to invest and how to save and how to spend financial resources efficiently and effectively. The only thing that I’ve learned in P.E. is how to properly play speedball. This will be unlikely to keep me solvent and my family secure.

Adam Skolnick and I are working to convince the administration that personal finance should be part of Staples’ required curriculum. And with the student body’s support – whether by attending Board of Education meetings on the matter, or just by emailing Mr. Dodig –  we can make our dream a reality.

Help us out by taking our quiz at http://kwiksurveys.com/s.asp?sid=b4quv5zfgopipre162157