This Lancaster County teacher is an example in SC for personal finance lessons
A Lancaster County teacher has been recognized by the state treasurer for going beyond the basics with her students, and focusing an financial education.
Math enrichment specialist Kristy Horton at Heath Springs Elementary School is the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher educator of the month for September. The financial literacy program provides incentives for K-12 teachers who enter a three-year cohort and become experts who teach workshops for other educators to reach as many students as possible with personal finance instruction.
“I wanted to become a Financial Literacy Master Teacher because I didn’t receive these skills in school,” Horton said in an announcement Monday. “We were never taught anything about budgeting, saving money or the effect your credit can have on you both now and in the future.”
Horton says she wants more for her students.
“I want my students to be knowledgeable in these areas so that they will be better equipped with the financial knowledge that so many lack today,” Horton said.
State treasurer Curtis Loftis said the results can be long-lasting.
“By teaching them to manage their money effectively, we are showing our young people how to achieve a lifetime of financial health,” Loftis said. “As the new school year begins, I am grateful that educators like Kristy Horton are helping students learn personal finance information and consumer behaviors that can positively change their lives.”
Horton has been at Heath Springs for 16 years. Horton taught second through fifth grade there, after graduating from the University of South Carolina.
The financial literacy focus is sponsored by the state college savings plan, Future Scholar.
