Meet the Personal Financial Literacy Coordinator for Guilford County Schools, North Carolina's third-largest district, with 27 high schools and over 20,000 high school students. A 24-year teaching veteran who's been leading personal finance instruction since 2016, Miche is driven by a simple belief: when it comes to money, ignorance isn't bliss.

Guilford County Schools serves a wide range of socio-economic, racial, ethnic, and faith backgrounds. In this Q&A, Miche shares how she's helping students build the confidence and agency to make informed money decisions, whether they're heading to college, launching a career, or chasing entrepreneurial dreams.

What is one of your earliest money memories?

One of my earliest money memories involved my dad taking me to the bank to make a deposit of some birthday money into a savings account. It was always exciting to hand over my bank book and see the money added to my account.

My dad always encouraged me to put back some of everything I earned to have, “just in case.” I loved looking at my bank book and seeing the number get higher.

What makes you passionate about personal finance education?

Money and personal finances are topics many families never discuss in a meaningful way. Ignorance is not bliss.

As the economy and technology continue to evolve, our students are more hungry than ever to know how to make confident decisions with their money. It doesn’t matter what next steps look like for our students, it will involve income and expenses.

We also have a record number of young people who hope to be entrepreneurs and they need a solid foundational education to have the agency to make informed decisions.

Students can walk out of a class everyday and apply information learned to their lives. Parents have been very excited and supportive of their students learning about things that weren’t taught in school for them. 

Having taken all of our certifications, what do you like about NGPF PD? And how has it changed your education style and/or your personal choices?

I really appreciate the relevancy of the topics and how accessible the content is, no matter which course I took. It has certainly added some more nuance and depth to my practice and I am appreciating the intentionality I have with my personal money.

My daughter and my husband have also benefited from what I have learned with NGPF cert courses!

Can you provide an example of how a personal finance lesson helped a student and/or someone in their family make a better money decision?

The banking unit has a lesson on being unbanked and underbanked. That is a reality for many of my district’s students. Helping students not get paid on debit cards and moving money out of P2P apps and into interest-earning accounts never gets old.

Also, students are more confident when they know their money has some base-level protections. Over the last three years, students have become more savvy about understanding their paychecks and how to complete tax forms correctly. It is powerful to see students confident in themselves and making good decisions!

How has being part of the NGPF network helped you personally? Professionally?

I have enjoyed and often leaned into the community that NGPF has created. From grant recipients, to professional development facilitators like Amanda, to teachers across the country, I have made valuable connections that continue to inspire and support my work. A couple of great friendships have come about as well!

What advice do you have for other personal finance teachers? 

Be fearless! Do the work, learn the material, ask questions. Trust that what you are bringing to your students is helping prepare them for real world experiences.

We want our students to think critically and carefully about money and your class is the best place to begin that work.

About the Author

Hannah Rael

As NGPF's Marketing Communications Manager, Hannah (she/her) helps spread the word about NGPF's mission to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.

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