Skip this intro if you already follow me:

A little about me and the purpose of this blog. I am a licensed high school teacher (Language Arts 6 - 12) in the state of Tennessee going on 13 years now.  I have 7 children and drive a school bus.  Love me or hate me, none of my students will tell you that I am a typical school teacher.  I, like many, believe that education is woefully equipped to keep pace with technology.  As a technology enthusiast and educator publishing on a crypto website, I am trying to do my small part to bridge this gap for as many people as I can.  Recently, the development of AI has created an accelerated urgency for education to take its head out of the sand and teach relevant skills in the classroom.  The resources, lessons, and philosophy I publish here, I use in my own classroom, and anyone (especially homeschoolers) can use this blog as a resource to supplement their own instruction.  If you are new to my blog, I suggest starting at the beginning as I will be structuring my lessons here the same way I would for my classroom.  Tips are appreciated.  Questions and feedback in the comments are welcome. So if you are a teacher, student, or homeschooler that is motivated to learn about, teach, or utilize all available technology in education (or know someone who is), I encourage you to give me a follow:  https://x.com/TheRealMrE09

And to view  my entire blog:  //https://www.publish0x.com/education-and-ai-resources-and-instruction

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It takes a lot to hold the attention of a Junior or Senior at the end of the school year, especially after testing is complete.  They are tired; they are done; and they want to go home.  This can be particularly frustrating if you have two to two and half weeks left before the year is officially over.

But one thing that will always catch their attention:  money.

Robinhood, Cash App, and Venmo are apps they are all extremely familiar with, but they have such a small amount of financial education that they really don’t understand how to utilize them.  They know what a stock is, but they don’t know how stocks work or their role in investing.  They know where to buy Bitcoin, but they don’t really understand why they should.  They probably think that the very easily accessible Roth IRA offered by Robinhood is just a savings account.  The advantage of digital round ups (the new version of stashing loose change in a pickle jar)?  They wouldn’t even consider it.  

Again, these apps are easily accessible, colorful, and familiar to them, so they can serve as a wonderful gateway.  But to introduce them to the concept of real wealth-building, these apps need to serve as easily understandable introductions to more serious tools:  Fidelity, Charles Schwab, etc.  Not to mention a more thorough education into the world of finance.  

That's why on Monday morning I’m going to walk into my classroom and say simply, “If you can get a job making 25$ an hour, I can show you how to have a million dollars by the time you are 30.”  I will instantly have their attention.  Then, when I tell them to pull out their phones and open Grok or ChatGPT, they will actually be excited and forget all about how burned out they are.

This captures their attention for two reasons.  First, many of today’s teenagers have grown up with more than one financial struggle.  They have seen their parents’ battle the Covid lockdowns, loss of work, the subsequent inflation, and are currently worried about the impact of tariffs as they are about to venture out into college or the workforce.  Money is on their mind a lot more than you might think it is.  

Second:  Unfortunately, many of them are jaded.  Society and social media combined have placed very bad ideas in their heads about what needs to be accomplished to become successful; this is compounded if they have grown up without any example to the contrary.  Between rising housing costs, rising college tuition, and their previous lack of money management, many of them are left thinking they have to become a YouTuber or become TikTok famous in order to become financially successful.

But, when they are presented with the idea that someone who makes 25$ an hour can one day have a million dollars, and when they are shown step by step how this might be possible, then suddenly it seems within reach.  

Once you have their attention, ask them to type the following prompt into their AI chatbox:

Pretend that I am an 18 year old kid that has just graduated high school. Lets pretend that I have a job that makes 25$ an hour. Using realistic expenses for a small town in Tennessee, give me a realistic plan on how I could invest my way to 1 million dollars by the time I am 30.

Give them a minute or two to digest the response.  FYI, the AI will give a very detailed breakdown of the process to reach this goal; they are not going to read all of that.  In my experience they will spend a minute tops scanning the sub topics and reading the end result very carefully.  At this point, their interest should peak and they will start to ask questions because suddenly they see that this proposition is actually possible.  But before they dig in with questions, shock them even further by hitting them with this one:  “NOW, type in the following prompt to see how it could be even easier than what you just read!”

Now imagine I have a spouse or significant other that has the same plan as me. How would this work? Give a detailed breakdown of the growth from year to year, assuming they are contributing the same as me. Show two scenarios: 1. when do we get to a million dollars and 2. how much would we have if we invested continuously until 30.

Now, give that another minute to sink in and then insert the life lesson of your choice regarding healthy relationships, household economics, financial matters in marriage, etc.  Here is mine:  Society today places the ridiculous notion in many kids' heads that they are supposed to do everything “on their own”:  no capital from parents, no help from a spouse/partner, taking on debt immediately, etc.  The reality is that this has never been the case in all of human history.  It has always taken two to thrive (notice I didn’t say survive).  Households have never been able to grow and become successful under the power of only one person.  This makes choosing a responsible partner in life all the more important.  

Very important disclaimer:  At this point it is very important to explain to the students that AI cannot give them a black and white version of what will happen if they follow this plan.  There are many variations and scenarios that it cannot possibly take into account.  That this exercise is just to show them that the goal that you have set forward has a logical and possible path to being achieved.  That much more learning and understanding on their part is required to make this goal possible because they need to learn how to deal with the many variables that the AI cannot take into account using just one prompt.

At this point, depending on how much time you want to take up, you may wish to go over the details of the AI’s responses (again, they will not do this themselves, and it will help deepen their understanding).  Or you may just wish to let them fire off with questions.

Encourage them to use the AI to answer any questions they have.

Now that you have delivered the intro and hopefully the students are busy interacting with the AI, it is time to develop the details of the project.  Below is the first step.  Enter this prompt to create a Pacing Guide and Overview of the project.  In future articles, I will show you how to create each individual lesson.

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Prompt:

Design a two-week educational project called "The Wealth-Builder’s Project" for high school juniors and seniors, led by an English teacher, to teach financial literacy and wealth-building using a $25/hour income (approximately $52,000/year for a 40-hour workweek, 52 weeks/year). The project should demonstrate that anyone with a decent job can build significant wealth, not just high earners, and the final wealth goal does not need to reach exactly $1 million. The project must include:

• Objective: Students create a financial plan showing how someone earning $25/hour can build wealth by age 30 through budgeting, saving, and investing, using internet and AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, online calculators).
• Structure: A two-week (10 school days) pacing guide with daily lessons, each including:
  • A 20-minute lecture explaining the day’s concept.
  • A 30-minute activity to apply the concept.
  • A 20-minute AI task to leverage AI for research or calculations.
  • A 10-minute reflection to discuss findings.
• Key Concepts:
  • Financial literacy: Managing income, expenses, and savings on $25/hour.
  • Investing: Basics of stocks, ETFs, index funds, and compound interest.
  • Scenario analysis: How different investment returns (e.g., 5%, 7%, 10%) affect wealth over a fixed 15-year timeframe with $25/hour income.
  • Partnering: How a partner with the same $25/hour income and goals accelerates wealth-building.
• Daily Topics:
  • Week 1:
    • Day 1: Earning $25/hour (career options, income calculation).
    • Day 2: Budgeting on $25/hour (fixed vs. variable costs).
    • Day 3: Saving on $25/hour (emergency funds, savings accounts).
    • Day 4: Investing basics (stocks, bonds, compound interest).
    • Day 5: Stocks and growth (stock market basics, tracking stocks).
  • Week 2:
    • Day 6: Investment options (ETFs, index funds for modest earners).
    • Day 7: Managing risk (risk tolerance, portfolio balance).
    • Day 8: Compound interest (long-term growth on $25/hour).
    • Day 9: Scenario analysis (comparing wealth outcomes with different returns).
    • Day 10: Partner planning (joint financial plan with a partner).
• Specific Lessons:
  • Day 9 (Scenario Analysis): Show how $25/hour invested over 15 years yields different wealth amounts at 5%, 7%, and 10% returns, with calculations and student activities.
  • Day 10 (Partner Planning): A separate lesson on how two people earning $25/hour each can combine efforts (e.g., shared expenses, doubled investments) to build wealth faster, with examples and activities.
• Final Deliverable: A student presentation including:
  • Career choice paying $25/hour.
  • Monthly budget (expenses and savings).
  • Investment strategy and mock portfolio.
  • Scenario analysis results (wealth at 15 years with different returns).
  • Partner plan showing combined wealth-building.
  • Description of AI tool usage.
• Additional Requirements:
  • Emphasize realism for a $25/hour income, relatable to students.
  • Include specific tools (e.g., Google Finance, Investopedia Simulator, financial calculators) and how to use them.
  • Integrate English skills (e.g., research, presentation).
  • Provide a clear, structured output with a pacing guide table and detailed daily breakdowns.

Please produce a complete, organized response with a pacing guide, daily lesson details, scenario analysis, partner planning lesson, and final project requirements, ready for classroom use. Ensure calculations (e.g., savings, investment growth) are accurate and assume a simple 22% tax rate for take-home pay. Include a disclaimer that the AI is not a financial adviser and to consult one.

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