From The President: Welcome To E-CONnections

The beginning of a new year always brings a refocusing on the future and on plans for accomplishing our hopes and dreams. As you look ahead, we invite you to look to ICEE to help you plan exciting new learning opportunities for your students. Let 2005 provide your students with a fresh start that prepares them for their future in our workforce and as consumers, savers, investors and voters in our economy.

With the strong push for teachers to focus on reading and mathematics, you may feel that economics and personal finance concepts just don't fit into your curriculum. Or, you may feel that these topics belong at the high school level, to be addressed in the state-mandated consumer education class. But, look at the statistics:

• Kids ages 4-12 spend $35.6 billion of their own cash annually - and influence another $290 billion of their parent's spending decisions (high school is TOO LATE!)
• The average credit card debt for students ages 18-24 has more than doubled over the past 10 years (decision-making skills need to be taught early!)
• The number of dollars "burned" (wasted by families through poor financial decisions) is conservatively estimated at $753 per household annually - and that adds up to a negative impact of over $1 billion per year in our economy (poor individual decisions hurt ALL OF US!)

So why should you take time (and effort) to include economics and personal finance in your classroom curriculum?

• High school is too late - students need to learn good financial decision-making skills at a young age
• Poor individual economic decisions hurt all of us
• Students need these essential skills to function effectively in our society
• Economics and personal finance materials provide exciting, fun, hands-on activities that enrich student learning
• Economics and personal finance activities help students apply their reading, writing and math skills to everyday living - helping to improve these skills
• You can teach these concepts easily through integration into all subject areas

ICEE has materials that integrate the teaching of these concepts into reading, math and social studies. Primary teachers can help students learn about decision-making and opportunity costs through children's literature. Intermediate age students can apply their math skills to budgeting, calculating interest on savings or credit, and figuring out best prices for a much-wanted toy. High school students can learn about the role of taxation in our economy and about public goods and services as they study U.S. History, civics and other subjects.

As you read through this newsletter, you will find information on student programs (The Stock Market Game™ Program, Economics Challenge, Economics Poster Contest); teacher programs (3M Awards, Illinois Association for School Economics Teachers - IASET, professional development programs); and curriculum materials tied to national and state standards. Take advantage of these great resources to help your students get a head start on the rest of their lives!

Joanne R. Dempsey
President/Executive Director