When she signed up for an NGPF Teacher Account this month, Danelle Wright had no idea she would become the 100,000th teacher to join the community. She enthusiastically agreed to share her story of finding NGPF and why she supports financial education. Read on to learn more about Danelle.

Danelle currently teaches at Washington Middle School in Olympia, WA, which is part of the Olympia School District. She joined a recently formed committee tasked with creating a financial education proposal for the district. 

How long have you been teaching? And what subjects? 

This is my 30th year teaching. I started as an elementary teacher, but for the last 19 years I have been teaching middle school math.

How did you find NGPF and what made you decide to create a teacher account? 

I was searching for resources for a middle school curriculum when I came across NGPF. I was impressed with how detailed and varied the lesson plans are. I can easily implement this into my math class! 

Please describe your school/district - the size, location, community

My district is a mid-sized district in a mostly suburban area. We are well supported by our parents and community.

You mentioned you are on a committee to create a financial education proposal for the Olympia School District, how did the committee develop? 

My district currently does not have a financial literacy program, but they are researching options. The person in charge of this process sent out a district wide email for people interested in being a part of evaluating our current middle school curriculums and where financial literacy instruction could be incorporated. 

I believe that teaching students how to make wise financial decisions is one of the most important life skills we should be teaching. I want to be a part of creating a program for our district to implement - and I want it to be done right!

Why do you think financial education is important?  

One of the most challenging aspects of adulthood is managing our finances. So many people make poor financial decisions in their teens and twenties and waste many years suffering from those poor choices. If people are given proper financial information, maybe they can avoid those poor decisions and save themselves and their families years of stress and worry.

What is one of your earliest money memories? 

I remember receiving a weekly allowance and my parents teaching me about giving and saving. I remember being so proud to start my very own savings account!

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.