It’s great to do what schools are meant to do – educate the next generation! We just completed our inaugural, four-week-long, online High School Preparation and Personal Finance classes. Though we started with just a handful of students, it was a giant step for the school, demonstrating our commitment and adaptability during the pandemic.

High School Preparation class was led by Mr. Shawn Klaiber. Mr. Klaiber is a full-time middle school English teacher at Grace Brethren in Simi Valley. We borrowed him, and all his energy and enthusiasm, for a few weeks to get a few eighth graders from across Southern California prepared for high school. Using Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits as a guide, students learned organizational skills and study habits and collaborated on projects and teams. In addition, students spent time honing their writing and composition skills.

I taught the Personal Finance class to a few high school students using the High School Financial Planning Program curriculum. Students learned the basics of money management, budgeting, earning, borrowing, investing, insurance and how to protect themselves from financial fraud. For the final project, each student prepared income statements and balance sheets of a fictional character, in most cases their future selves. Using articles from the Wall Street Journal, I related how current events impact the students’ financial future.

Muthu Jeganathan

Founder & President
August 15, 2020