The NGPF Team continues to grow...Join me in welcoming Abby Alcala who will be focusing on professional development and building out our curriculum to support math teachers. Find out why she thinks financial education is such a great way to build student engagement!

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Why do I need to learn this?

When will I ever need to use this information after this class? After high school? Ever?

These are some of the biggest questions teachers are asked when working with high school students who often don’t see the relevance in the curriculum that educators work tirelessly to develop. During my time as an algebra and geometry teacher in New Bedford, Massachusetts, I focused on creating lessons that not only honed my students’ mathematical skills and strengths but also helped make them make those connections so the answer to the relevance question was clear. Sometimes I hit the bullseye, but sometimes I didn’t have a clear cut answer on why factoring polynomials would ever be useful for students outside of their weekly quiz.

My go-to answer was usually about building creative problem-solving skills or working towards more challenging topics. While these were important, I knew that the overlap between abstract mathematics and students’ relevant interests must exist and I had to search to find that connection. I was able to find some resources online here and there, collaborate with some colleagues on best practices, and patch together some lessons from other experienced educators. However, none of my discoveries matched what NGPF offered.

What drew me to NGPF was the vast amount of engaging and inventive resources that were instructor-ready. These sculpted lessons were exactly that overlap I was looking for. Personal finance education provides that unique intersection of current and useful statistical data that can be used in high school math classrooms, where students can get behind and see direct connections to their own lives, both in the classroom and after graduation. These lessons are created exactly for the “Why” student and the “Besides problem-solving…” educator. I am so excited to join the NGPF team and eager to continue to build lessons that empower students to answer some of these big “Why?” questions for themselves.

About the Author

Abby Alcala

After graduating with a statistics major at UC Davis, Abby set off to Massachusetts to teach algebra 1 and geometry and enjoyed working with the curious and creative minds of high school students. She is passionate about helping students recognize and develop their strengths and leadership skills. She was instrumental in taking the high school cheer team to regional competitions, as well as elevating school spirit and pride through creating unity amongst the study body and educators. Back in the Bay Area, Abby is excited to work with other educators to build and share content to enhance the teaching experience in applied math and finance.