Kimberly Jackson

Montgomery County Public Schools

Kimberly Jackson has two sayings she tells her students repeatedly: “just because you have money doesn’t mean you know or understand money,” and “nobody plans to fail, they just fail to plan.”

The lessons in these phrases illustrate Kimberly’s thoughtful approach to teaching personal-finance. For the past 23 years, she has taught business and accounting in Montgomery County with the past 13 years at Gaithersburg  High School. While Gaithersburg High doesn’t offer a dedicated course in personal finance, Kimberly is stepping up to ensure students are exploring personal finance concepts that will change their lives - infusing this learning into class conversations and sponsoring an extracurricular club. In doing so, she has been leveraging MCEE resources and competitions.

“By the time my students reach my classroom, they care about and think about money,” explained Kimberly. “And through honest conversations about personal finance, students see quickly that this is information they want and need in order to be successful. From there, the questions and ‘ah-hah’ moments come naturally. MCEE is a great help in providing activities, lessons, and resources that enhance these conversations.”

12 years ago, Kimberly began sponsoring “The Millionaire's Club” - an extracurricular student group that meets twice a month to learn about personal finance, hear from guest speakers, and compete in activities like the Stock Market Game™. Today, the club boasts more than 40 students - one of the more popular clubs in the school.   Kimberly’s determined and flexible approach to teaching personal finance - sponsoring a club, sparking class conversations and creating lessons and projects in spite of there being no dedicated class, is an immeasurable benefit to her students.

“We recently did a lesson where I challenged students to pick a college and look up the full cost of attending,” said Kimberly. “Some students came back thinking a one-year's worth of tuition was what the full four years cost. It was an eye-opening experience that demonstrates how much this education is needed.”

Students in Kimberly’s classes are exploring credit, learning simple tips for saving (“save your change!” says Kimberly), and understanding interest, long term growth of stocks, and college expenses. Kimberly also works with MCEE to guide students in the Stock Market Game™ and the Personal Finance Challenge.

“These concepts can apply to any subject. And many of my students may not have been exposed to these conversations or concepts at home. A student approached me the other day and said everyone is telling them to go to college, but nobody is taking the time to discuss the costs. This needs to change.”  The lessons learned are sticking with students - growth Kimberly knows is imperative for their futures.

“We set students up for financial challenges if we don’t give them tools to navigate their finances after high school,” said Kimberly. “Students need to hear these messages over and over again. Anyone who can share personal finance knowledge with students - no matter the subject you teach or the role you play - will enhance their learning opportunities should do so.”