Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6B
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2010
A lesson in money: National radio, TV host visits school
WHAT DOES it mean to
be rich — really, really rich
in the eyes of fifth graders
at Gum Springs Elementary
School?
Big houses, fancy clothes,
gold jewelry, large pools and
lots of cash, according to
some of the 10 and 11-year-
old students.
But national radio and
cable news show host —
and self-proclaimed penny
pincher — Clark Howard
gave some students at Gum
Springs Elementary a lesson
in personal economics on
Monday.
“These are the things
that make (people) poor.”
Howard says from the front
of the classroom, as three
news cameras film the ses
sion.
HOWARD VISITS GSES
National radio and cable news show host Clark Howard gives students at Gum
Springs Elementary School a lesson in personal finance on Monday. The CNN affili
ate HLN (formerly Headline News) was filming segments with students and Howard
for upcoming shows. Photo by Kerri Testement
A collective “huh?”
from the students follows
Howard’s statement.
“It’s never what you
make,” Howard tells the stu
dents. “It’s what you don’t
spend.”
Spreading the word on
saving money — no matter
how little or how much you
make — is Howard’s key
message.
His talk radio show
— when he tells consumers
“how to save more, spend
less and avoid getting ripped
off’ — is heard by more
than 200 radio stations in the
nation. Locally, the “Clark
Howard Show” is played
on News/Talk 750 WSB
AM radio Mondays through
Fridays, from 1-4 p.m.
And his newest venture on
CNN affiliate HLN (former
ly Headline News) brings
his cash-saving advice to
the cable news network on
Saturdays and Sundays, at 6
a.m., noon and 4 p.m., along
with 16 times during the
week with brief consumer
tips. He’s also a consumer
advisor reporter on WSB-
TV.
Howard was at Gum
Springs Elementary to film
for the HLN show, which
may be aired in multiple seg
ments over several weeks.
His day-long visit with a
seven-person television crew
at the West Jackson school
included two classroom les
sons.
Howard also interviewed
Danny Kofke, a special
education teacher at Gum
Springs Elementary who has
written a financial advice
book for teachers — “How
to Survive (and Perhaps
Thrive) on a Teacher’s
Salary.” Kofke has recently
promoted the book on Fox
News and the “700 Club.”
Howard said he rarely vis
its schools — but he pre
fers that students learn from
their parents about financial
responsibilies, rather than
the “school of hard knocks.”
He is the best-selling author
of eight books, including
“Clark Smart Parents, Clark
Smart Kids.”
reminded students of a
famous phrase coined by Ben
Franklin: “A penny saved is
a penny earned.”
“The way you get rich is
saving money and having
that money grow over time,”
Howard said.
Howard’s lesson was for stu
dents to respect the financial
pressures their parents face,
he said.
During one example,
Howard asked students to
list how much they believed
their parents paid in house
hold expenses.
For a mortgage payment,
answers ranged from $100
to $20,000 a month. The
typical monthly mortgage
payment is $1,500, Howard
said.
And for a car payment,
students tossed out estimat
ed monthly costs from $200
to $75,000. The average car
payment is $400.
That’s almost $2,000 a
month — without spending
a dime on food, utilities,
clothing and other items,
Howard told the students.
“Life gets expensive in a
hurry,” he said.
Besides emphasizing
the importance of saving
money, Howard also touched
on other financial aspects
— such as retirement plan
ning, debt and credit card
payments.
Howard also welcomed
parents into the classroom
to ask questions. Some of
the students read written
questions from their parents
that couldn’t attend the ses
sion.
One student — who said
he has saved $2,000 from
allowance money and other
contributions — asked
Howard for advice on invest
ing the funds. Howard sug
gested establishing a STAR
fund with Vanguard.
A recently-unemployed
mom asked Howard about
taxes when she taps into
her 401 (k) retirement fund.
Howard suggested she move
the money from her 401(k)
to an IRA and withdraw
money when she needs it
“The teaching about this
stuff comes from parents.”
he said. “And so often —
especially now — parents
won’t talk about money with
their kids, because parents
are uncomfortable.”
One of the key points of
— not all at once — and as
a last resort.
Howard’s visit included
serving as instructor in Angie
Konarski’s fifth grade class
room and Ann Harrison’s
kindergarten classroom.
At one point, Howard
EJES STUDENTS RECOGNIZED
East Jackson Elementary School fourth and fifth grade
students who met their AR goal for the third nine
weeks of school were treated to a bowling party in
Athens. Students who earned enough points to attend
are pictured: (from bottom left) Micah Hettrick, Nicole
Gibbs, Isiah Swinson, Kayla Beauchamp, Jordan White
and Alex Dearborn; and (top row from left) John Mark
Palmer, Ridge Chaisson, Marley Palmer, Mark Thomas,
Conner Beauchamp, Jake Maxwell, Casey Ogletree
and Martha Wier.
See more School
news on page 8B.
RECOGNIZED AT MAYSVILLE
GLO (General Outcome Learners) for the month
of January at Maysville Elementary were: (front
row) Levi Cohely, Ansley Ledford, Hailey Green,
Brandon Gutierrez, Austin Tatum and Breaden
Lowe; and (back row) Tyler Whisnant, Nikie Jetton,
Jessica Pass, Betty Jean Wilder, Grace Waters and
Hannah Healan.
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