FALMOUTH, Maine — As high school graduations are just days away, personal finance is an important subject that students should understand.
On Wednesday, in Augusta, there was a hearing for a bill that Sen. Mattie Daughtry brought forth. It would require personal finance to be taught as a course that all students must take in order to graduate.
The course is all about starting early and covers everything from how to save, to how to spend.
Kelly Horton, the personal finance teacher at Falmouth High School, said, "We start with the easy questions, such as the difference between a debit and a credit card."
The class also teaches students how to write a check, create resumes, prepare for a job interview, and more advanced financial concepts such as 401Ks, Roth IRAs, and traditional IRAs.
The personal finance course is a one-semester elective offered at Falmouth High School, which shows students what to expect when they enter "the real world" in the near future.
Many students find this course foreign to them, but those who enroll find it extremely beneficial.
Carmen Galinas, a senior at Falmouth, said, "We started by choosing a career path and then created a budget spreadsheet. And that's when I realized I did not know how much groceries cost and getting a car and paying your student loans and all of that, so I definitely was in shock."
Justine Means, another student, added, "I totally had a moment of realization where I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I actually have no idea what any of this is.'"
Daughtry is working on a bill to make the course a requirement for all high school students in Maine.
Horton, said, "Currently, only about 10% of students take this course at Falmouth High School, and it is only an elective."
If Daughtry's bill passes, it would make Maine the 20th state in the U.S. to require financial literacy courses for all its high school students.
Cyrus Boothby, a senior at Falmouth High School, shared his experience with the course, saying, "Tomorrow, I have a job interview, and I feel very confident in what questions I need to ask and what to expect going into the job interview."
Means said, "This is one of the most beneficial courses I have taken over my four years."