Teachers who attend an Oct. 18 financial literacy summit at Chattanooga State Community College will each receive a $50 gift card from Amazon. And one lucky teacher will leave with an iPad2. "All summit participants will also be getting something far more valuable: financial literacy lessons that they can teach to their students and apply to their own lives," officials said.
The free summit is being sponsored by the Tennessee Financial Literacy Commission, which is administered by the Tennessee Treasury Department.
The commission is emphasizing the teaching of financial literacy skills to students at young ages so they will develop and follow good habits later in life. The summit, for teachers in kindergarten through eighth grades, will also stress the importance of reaching out to students’ parents so they, too, will develop good financial literacy skills and recognize the need to save for their children’s college education.
Participating teachers will each receive a free financial literacy curriculum packet and a free Financial Football video game for classroom use.
Teachers who attend the summit may be eligible for professional education credits, if permitted by their school districts.
Also, representatives from the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System will be on hand to provide retirement counseling for teachers who are interested.
“I encourage teachers in Chattanooga and surrounding areas to attend this summit,” State Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr. said. “Research suggests that children’s minds are receptive to learning about financial literacy while they are very young. When they are learning about financial literacy in school, it may also help remind their parents about the importance of developing and practicing those skills. And the summit will also provide information teachers can use in their own lives.”
The summit will be held at the Center for Business, Industry and Health building on Chattanooga State’s campus. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. and the summit will last from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunch and free parking will be provided to participants. To register online, teachers can visit www.tnflc.com. For questions, they may contact James Armistead at 615-532-5892 or by email at James.Armistead@tn.gov.
The Tennessee Financial Literacy Commission is a nonprofit organization created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2010. Treasurer Lillard chairs the commission’s board. Other members include commissioners of the state departments of financial institutions and education, as well as six other Tennesseans selected to serve.
This is the fourth in a series of summits that will be held this school semester in communities across the state.