At Newaygo High School in Newaygo, Michigan, many students are first-generation college-bound. Others will head straight into the workforce. Nearly all of them come from households that never had access to formal financial education. That's exactly why teacher Tabatha Lathrop's work matters so much.

About Tabatha 

In her seven years in the classroom (and nine years total with Newaygo Public Schools), Tabatha has made personal finance a cornerstone of her teaching in the last few years. 

"Personal finance is the class that has truly transformed how I view my role as an educator," she says. "It’s no longer just about content; it’s about preparing students for adulthood."

She knows the financial knowledge she passes on isn't just practical, it's generational.

"In a small community like ours, when one student learns how to budget, avoid unnecessary debt, invest wisely, or advocate for themselves financially, that knowledge ripples outward," she says. "When our students are financially confident, our entire town is stronger because of it."

Read our Q&A with Tabatha:

What is one of your earliest money memories?

One of my earliest money memories is watching the adults around me work incredibly hard for what they earned.

I grew up in a household where we had the absolute necessities and not much more. Money wasn’t wasted, and financial decisions were never taken lightly because there simply wasn’t room for mistakes.

At a young age, I understood that money created both opportunity and stress, and that how you manage it truly matters.

That awareness has stayed with me and deeply shaped how seriously I take teaching financial responsibility to my students. I know firsthand how financial knowledge can change a trajectory.

What makes you passionate about personal finance education?

Personal finance is one of the few subjects where the impact is immediate and lifelong.

Every single student, regardless of career path, will earn, spend, borrow, save, and make financial decisions. Yet 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 happens when they finally understand how to read a pay stub, compare loan terms, build a budget, file their own taxes, or open their first Roth IRA before graduation.

I wish I had received this kind of education before going off 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 become much more intentional about 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 provide an example of how a lesson taught in class helped a student and/or someone in their family make a better money decision?

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

Professionally, the NGPF network has elevated my instruction tremendously. The curriculum is relevant, engaging, and constantly updated, which allows me to bring real-world, timely financial topics into my classroom without spending countless hours building resources from scratch.

Personally, being part of the network has connected me 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 real. Use current examples, real numbers, and real-life scenarios so students clearly see how the content applies to their future.

Focus on decision-making over memorization. Students need practice analyzing choices, comparing options, and thinking long-term.

Create space for discussion. Some of the most powerful learning happens when students connect classroom lessons to conversations happening at home.

Be honest about your own journey. When I teach student loans, I share 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 financial mistakes, they respect you and trust the message more. While some people may still have to learn lessons on their own, your story could be the very thing that saves a student from making a costly financial decision. You aren’t just teaching content – you’re shaping financial futures.

Is there anything else about you, your school, or your personal finance journey that you would like us to know?

I’m not just a teacher, I’m also a mom of six children who have all attended the same public schools where I teach. That perspective shapes everything I do.

I understand what it feels like to sit on both sides of the table: as the educator preparing students for adulthood and as the parent hoping 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 provider, someone who will one day be responsible for managing a household, building a career, and making decisions that impact generations.

Financial literacy isn’t theoretical to me, it’s deeply personal. It’s about making sure students graduate not just ready for college or a career, but ready to make lifelong financial decisions with confidence and understanding.

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.

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