At Newaygo High School in Newaygo, Michigan, many students are first-generation college-bound. Others will enter the labor market directly. Almost all of them come from households that have never had access to formal financial education. That is exactly why the work of teacher Tabatha Lathrop is so important.
About Tabatha
In her seven years in the classroom (and a total of nine years at Newaygo Public Schools), Tabatha has made personal finance a cornerstone of her teaching in recent years.
“Personal finance is the class that really changed the way I view my role as an educator,” she says. “It’s no longer just about the content; it’s about preparing students for adulthood.”
She knows that the financial knowledge she passes on is not only practical, but generational.
“In a small community like ours, when a student learns to budget, avoid unnecessary debt, invest wisely or stand up for themselves financially, that knowledge flows out,” she says. “When our students are financially confident, our entire city is stronger as a result.”
Read our Q&A with Tabatha:
What is one of your first money memories?
One of my first money memories is seeing the adults around me work incredibly hard for what they earned.
I grew up in a household where we had the bare essentials and not much more. No money was wasted and financial decisions were never taken lightly because there was simply no room for error.
At a young age, I understood that money created both opportunity and stress, and that how you handle it really matters.
That realization has stayed with me and has profoundly shaped how seriously I take teaching financial responsibility to my students. I know firsthand how financial literacy can change a trajectory.
What makes you passionate about personal financial education?
Personal finance is one of the few topics whose impact is immediate and lifelong.
Every student, regardless of career path, will earn, spend, borrow, save and make financial decisions. But for many of them, no one has ever explicitly taught them how money works.
I see students who think credit cards are “free money,” who don’t understand taxes, who have never talked about budgeting at home.
And I also see the empowerment that comes when they finally understand how to read a paycheck, compare loan terms, budget, file their own taxes, or open their first Roth IRA before graduation.
I wish I had gotten this kind of education before going to college. At the time, it felt like financial freedom: signing loan documents, using credit, making independent decisions.
It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized I had accumulated significant debt and didn’t fully understand the long-term impact of those choices. That realization forced me to make changes and be much more conscious with my finances.
I don’t just teach personal finance as content – I teach it as prevention, empowerment, and opportunity. Financial literacy is equity work. It changes family trees.
Can you give an example of how a lesson taught in class helped a student and/or someone in his/her family make better money decisions?
Every year when we start our tax unity, the conversation becomes contentious. Students go home and are told by their parents that they cannot file a tax return because they are classified as dependents.
It’s a common misconception and it opens the door for an important learning moment for both students and their families.
We go through the entire tax return process in class, and many students file their tax returns there. They work through the software and discover that the money they worked hard for often comes back to them.
I’ve had parents thank me because they didn’t know it was an option.
That’s when you realize that this class not only teaches theory, but also creates financially capable young adults who take home the knowledge.
How has participating in the NGPF Network helped you personally? Professional?
Professionally, the NGPF Network has greatly improved my instruction. The curriculum is relevant, engaging, and constantly updated, allowing me to bring timely, current financial topics into my classroom without spending countless hours rebuilding resources.
Personally, being part of the network has allowed me to connect with educators across the country who are passionate about this work. It has pushed me to grow as a leader, collaborate, present, and advocate for financial literacy beyond my own classroom.
It’s more than a curriculum – it’s a community.
What advice do you have for other personal finance teachers?
Make it happen. Use actual examples, real numbers, and real-life scenarios so students can clearly see how the content applies to their future.
Focus on decision making over memorization. Students need to practice analyzing choices, comparing options, and thinking long-term.
Create space for discussion. The most powerful learning happens when students connect classroom lessons with conversations happening at home.
Be honest about your own journey. When I give student loans, I talk about how I misunderstood how they worked and ended up in more debt than I realized because I didn’t fully understand the long-term impact. When students see that you are authentic and willing to admit to financial mistakes, they will respect you and trust the message more. While some people may still have lessons to learn on their own, your story could be the very thing that stops a student from making an expensive financial decision. You not only provide content, you shape the financial future.
Is there anything else about you, your school, or your personal financial journey that you would like us to know?
Not only am I a teacher, I am also a mother of six children who all attended the same public schools where I teach. That perspective shapes everything I do.
I understand what it feels like to be on both sides of the table: as an educator preparing students for adulthood and as a parent hoping that her own children are truly ready for the real world.
I don’t see my students as just names on a roster; I see them as someone’s child, someone’s future breadwinner, someone who will one day be responsible for managing a household, building a career and making decisions that will impact generations.
Financial literacy for me is not theoretical, it is very personal. It’s about ensuring that students not only graduate ready for college or a career, but also ready to make lifelong financial decisions with confidence and understanding.
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