Students learn financial responsibility, decision-making

Coteau-Bayou Blue Elementary is a small school. Nearly 800 students walk the halls each day in a facility originally built to host a little more than 400. For teachers, these children are the future, regardless of the number.

In an attempt to prepare them for the real world, officials are arming students with a little financial know-how, a concept that some adults haven’t even grasped yet.

While the initiative stems from the state level – Gov. Bobby Jindal recently declared the week of April 26 through April 30 as financial literacy week – locals are taking the lead.

More than 20 volunteers from across the area stormed the school last Tuesday, materials in hand, ready to step into the shoes of a teacher for the day. Most were certified public accountants with a hefty knowledge about finances. Their teaching experience was second to none.

However, that didn’t stop the “ad-hoc” teachers from fulfilling their duties, as they began the day with lessons about financial responsibility, smart spending and even global commerce.

Before the volunteers were directed to classrooms, they crowded the school’s small library, some nervous with anticipation. Norman Loeske, a CPA from Thibodaux, stood in the back of the room wearing a dark suit.

“It was designed in France, made in China,” he explained. That was his edge.

With today’s advances in technology, the world is not as big as it once was. Things come from different places, different people. Trade and international commerce are becoming more and more vital, said Loeske.

“Today will bring to the forefront how we fit into the world. It’ll fill in all the blank spaces,” he noted.

The Society of Louisiana CPAs, or LCPA, and Junior Achievement (JA) engineered the program and provided volunteers a variety of age-appropriate lessons. While JA’s most popular program takes place over the course of five visits, Tuesday’s event was a one-stop shop.

For employees, taking time off comes with a multitude of challenges, including missed pay. It most cases, “the one-day event works better for both teachers and employees,” explained JA representative Ronnie Musacchia. Officials at Coteau-Bayou Blue also have to contend with testing, which typically falls at the end of the year.

Like most, Musacchia fell in love with the program after volunteering nearly 15 years ago.

Although the program hits on “money smarts,” it also exposes students to careers they might want to pick up in the future, he said. “It’s an overall good experience.”

Krista Pertuit, a second grade teacher at Coteau-Bayou Blue, looks forward to the event each year.

“It’s great for the students to hear this from a fresh voice,” she said. “They’re not always learning it at home.”

Most of the participants in Pertuit’s class embraced life lessons, like “…learning to go for what they need, rather than what they want,” she added.

But those lessons came with a lighter side, as laughter rang out into the desolate hallway. Children are happy, content and learning.

Dylan Domangue, a 6th grader at the school, is one of them. His eyes were drawn to the whiteboard as the speaker talked about entrepreneurs and the task of starting a small business.

“Without JA, we wouldn’t know about any of this stuff,” he said. “It gives you more detail about different things, from different people.”

Alongside the teachers, Domangue also looks forward to the volunteers’ visit. “It’s one of my favorite days,” he said.

Following in the footsteps of Jindal, Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet declared April 27 as LCPA-JA Financial Literacy Education Day, making a special appearance at the school to issue a proclamation.

The document – a near match to the one drafted by Jindal – highlights the importance of teaching area youth about money management, “…not only so they can avoid the financial pitfalls into which so many adults have fallen, but because they will someday run our businesses, our government, and our financial institutions.”

It also calls for parents to lend a hand in raising money-smart children.

As the day drew to a close, numerous volunteers exited the school, smiles from ear to ear and an air of calmness and satisfaction. The nerves had been eased.

“It’s just giving back to the community, and what better way than to help educate kids,” recalled John Rochelle, a Sam’s Club employee.

It was Rochelle’s first classroom experience, but given the chance, he would do it again, he said.