Melissa Gordon is a Personal Finance teacher at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Now in her 15th year teaching and seventh year teaching Personal Finance, Melissa is an NGPF Distinguished Educator and has taken every Certification Course we offer. She is leading a session on Transforming the Classroom with AI Tools at the upcoming Virtual Conference on April 5. Learn more about Melissa.

What makes you passionate about personal finance education?

As adults and educators, we always hear about the divide between those who have financial knowledge and those who don’t. If we aren’t teaching personal finance in schools, when and where will our students learn the skills that can help them build a more secure and successful future?

Looking back on my own education, this would have been a class I would have LOVED to have taken in high school, and I think could have also changed the trajectory of my life.

How did you get started integrating AI in your classroom?

It was Tim’s first session on February 15, 2023 titled “Using Chat GPT In Your Personal Finance Classroom” that really introduced me to the topic and then I was hooked.

What do you like about NGPF PD? And what have been some of your favorite classes or topics?

The community first and foremost—everyone I have met from the NGPF Team and the amazing people I’ve been with at FinCamp or the Jump$tart Conferences. There’s such a strong sense of community. We’ve even hung out outside of conferences!

Second, the resources and education. When attending the Virtual PD sessions, I always enjoy how I’m not just learning about resources and getting ideas, but I’m also seeing the teaching being modeled by the presenters.

Do you hear from past students? If so, what do they say about having taken your class?

I just received a message from a former student letting me know that her bracket was busted! So yes, I have had multiple reach out about using what they have learned in class AND staying in touch.

My favorite is when they tell me they’ve opened up a Roth IRA or they used what we learned to complete their taxes. One student told me, “I was able to read my W-2 and understand what it says because we learned about it in class!”

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

It’s everything. I used to see myself as just a teacher—and I still am—but now, I’m so much more. I have the confidence to branch out into new and exciting opportunities, and it all comes full circle to NGPF.

Their scholarship to Jump$tart in Atlanta in 2023 was a turning point for me. That experience changed everything for me professionally, giving me the confidence to dive into AI and explore new possibilities in education.

And I’ve gone from being in the audience to being an active and engaged member of the conversation and now helping out with different virtual PDs and presenting at conferences. I take NGPF everywhere I go.

What advice do you have for other personal finance teachers? 

Attend the Virtual PD—it’s incredibly valuable and helpful. Make it a goal to attend once a month. I promise it will make teaching more fun for you and your students. And you will meet some amazing people!

Learn something new each day or every week or every month! Challenge yourself to try something new.

Don’t let the vast resources at NGPF overwhelm you—just start with one and explore. Set a goal to implement a single activity or lesson, or adapt what’s available to fit your classroom.

Remember, you are the teacher and the expert! You always do what’s best for your students, and with NGPF, you can’t go wrong.

Want to learn more from Melissa? Register for her conference session.

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.