Focus on Freshmen: A Few Ideas Worth Revisiting

A Career Choices Series Newsletter
September 8, 2026 ~ Issue 26.3

WORTH ANOTHER LOOK

Fresh Ideas for the New School Year

The first weeks of school are busy. Very busy. Between getting each course rolling, helping students establish routines, and keeping everything moving forward, it's easy for things to get lost in the shuffle.

So we're revisiting a few ideas from a recent Focus on Freshmen newsletter that seem especially timely now that the school year is underway.

FROM MINDY'S DESK

What Could $200 Billion Do for America’s Future?

Big numbers can feel abstract—until we put them into real-world terms.

In her latest essay on LinkedIn, Mindy Bingham challenges us to explore what $200 billion could accomplish if invested in addressing some of America's pressing needs. By translating a massive figure into tangible possibilities—modernized high schools, improved infrastructure, expanded in-home care for seniors, and millions of potential jobs—Mindy makes an otherwise abstract number easier to understand.

More importantly, the exercise raises a bigger question: How do we make thoughtful choices when resources are limited and the needs are great—and how might those choices shape people’s lives and our future?

It’s a thought-provoking look at the connections among money, priorities, opportunity, and the future we choose to build.

Read on to access the classroom activity and full essay.

CLASSROOM IN ACTION

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH $200 BILLION?

Give students a number. Let them pick a problem. See how they'd go about fixing it.

Mindy’s essay is more than an interesting thought experiment; it's an ideal real-world challenge for your students.

Working in teams, students choose an issue they would like to address—like affordable housing, clean energy, access to healthy food, or another issue they care about. They research the problem, explore potential costs, calculate what $200 billion could accomplish, and then present their recommendations and the evidence behind them.

Along the way, students practice quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and presentation skills while exploring how economic decisions can affect communities and future careers.

Whether you’re teaching career readiness, financial literacy, or civics, the activity gives students a chance to connect money and policy, resource allocation, and the future they want to help create.

Try it in your classroom: Start with Mindy’s essay as the reading assignment, then challenge students to make a case for where the $200 billion should go.

GET THE FULL ESSAY AND ACTIVITY DETAILS

DOLLARS AND DECISIONS

Needs, Wants, and Everything in Between

Financial literacy is more than knowing the difference between a need and a want. It’s knowing what to do when you can’t afford everything.

The OECD’s PISA 2022 financial literacy study found that 65% of U.S. 15-year-olds reported “having been exposed sometimes or often to tasks exploring the difference between spending money on needs and wants.” The study also found something even more interesting: students who regularly discussed their own spending or saving decisions with their parents performed higher in financial literacy than students who reported never discussing these topics.

That makes a strong case for encouraging students to talk with a parent or other trusted adult about what they're learning about personal finance. Those conversations can help reinforce that financial decisions aren't just hypothetical problems in a textbook; they're choices people make every day.

Real financial decisions are rarely as simple as "need = yes, want = no." A reliable car, a smartphone, eating out, a gym membership, or saving for a goal may all be reasonable choices. The challenge is deciding what matters most, weighing the trade-offs, and understanding how one choice impacts another.

That’s the kind of thinking students need to practice, which is why Lifestyle Math includes activities like “Hard Times Budget” and “Planning for Setbacks.” Students work through realistic financial situations, make decisions, compare options, and consider the consequences of their choices—all in the safety of the classroom.

Because financial literacy isn't just about knowing the difference between a need and a want. It's about learning to make thoughtful choices when the answer isn't so simple.

REQUEST A REVIEW COPY OF LIFESTYLE MATH