Time, Change, and Continuity: Budget policies are largely based on choices that are future-oriented and our society, in general, is not prepared to engage in thinking seriously about resolving problems that can’t be seen today.
When surveyed by the I.O.U.S.A. crew, many individuals were unable to answer basic questions about the U.S. Federal debt, and their own personal savings policy. Many of these individuals indicated that they were unaware of the trouble facing the government. Even if they were aware, they weren't doing anything to help reduce the problem, or even protect their own interests.
I personally feel that my savings and retirement funds are low. I should have twice as much money in my retirement fund, and I haven't actually saved anything since I began taking graduate classes at Columbia a year ago. Although I am not taking out loans either, which I suppose balances out the loss of savings over a one year period. Curious how I compare to my peers in terms of savings, I found this calculator http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/networth_ageincome/index.html. Someone my age with my income has approximately $8,525 in savings. More than I had expected!
The Understanding Fiscal Responsibility curricula talks about social security and medicare in relation to the national debt. It is important for high school students to understand the challenges the social security program faces, and the proposals aimed toward "fixing" the problem through government efforts, as well as solutions individuals can explore.
While medicare might be even more difficult for young people to understand and be concerned about, they should still study the topic, as well as Plan-D. Students that develop a strong understanding of the topic might be able to help elderly grandparents or eventually their own parents when the time comes to evaluate options within the plan. I personally am unsure of how recent health care reforms are going to reshape medicare and medical care and health insurance for all Americans. This could be a problem that gets increasingly complex over the next few years, and it will be critical for students to have a strong understanding of the system for their own benefit.
This is one of the aspects of the Understanding Fiscal Responsibility curriculum that I really enjoy. Thanks for talking about it here.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post, I also thought about how difficult is for my students to think about the two weeks in the future, never mind years in the future. Even when the decision that affects them personally, students tend to put off big decisions until the last possible moment (at which time many of their options have already fled). The film, the curriculum, and the NCSS standards all point to the necessity of talking about and making choices about these issues sooner rather than later. I wonder what type of curriculum could at once foster a deep understanding of the issues and help students develop the tools to practice making hard decisions on an ideal timetable (during a developmental stage that doesn't necessarily encourage such behavior!)
Lila, I agree with what you said about it being difficult for students to think about making responsible choices now that will affect them in the future - a future that is definitely much further away than two weeks! I have the same feelings that Stephanie has about saving for retirement. Now that I'm about to enter the workforce permanently it suddenly seems like a real issue that very much affects me, rather than a vague "oh yeah, some people do that, and I know I should be doing it." I think any curriculum that helps students learn about these issues and how to make choices about them has to start with making personal savings and the social security/medicare issue personal and relevant to them. This definitely involves fostering deep understanding as well as practicing how to take action of the issues. But I think it most importantly involves inculcating the realization that these issues don't just affect other people, or maybe even them someday, they affect them right now. Now, what kind of curriculum can pound that in sufficiently in an 45 minute long lesson?
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