Econcepts | Author | Rema Oxandaboure

Transitions

Date November 17, 2014

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This time of year, it’s hard to believe that another twelve months have passed and that we’re on the cusp of semester end and the holidays. We’ve had a very busy and rewarding 2014!

On the theme of transition, a message of a more personal nature: I’ll be leaving the SF Fed at the end of this month. I’ve accepted a position at the Reserve Bank of Australia, and will be catching a flight to Sydney after Thanksgiving!

It’s been an incredible six and a half years in the Federal Reserve System. I’ve been grateful to have worked with exceptional educators like you, and have been consistently inspired by your enthusiasm for economics and personal finance education.

The blog will be helmed by my Econ Ed colleagues going forward. If things look a little different in the months ahead, it’s due to the transition! The blog will be taking a short hiatus in December, but will be back with exciting new content in January 2015.

Best wishes, and thank you for the opportunity to have worked with you!
– Rema

Apply now for the 2015 Education Advisory Group!

Date November 10, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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Now accepting applications for the 2015 Education Advisory Group (EAG)!

We invite you to apply for a position by submitting the information listed below by December 8, 2014. Selected members will attend a 2-day conference in San Francisco and work with SF Fed Econ Ed staff through December of 2015 on content ideas, teaching activities, the use of technology, and best practices related to teaching about the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy.

Teacher Spotlight: Jennifer Antrim

Date November 6, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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Our Spotlight series continues this week, where we talk with teachers who are making a difference in the field of economic education.

In today’s installment, we’re talking with Jennifer Antrim, who teaches with the Scottsdale Unified School District’s eLearning Department in Arizona. She teaches American/Arizona government, economics, and American/Arizona history, including AP courses.

Here is what she had to say:

College and Career Readiness Theme for Financial Education Day

Date October 30, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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Karen Schwartz-Decker from our communications group contributed to this post.

Last week, almost 100 students and their teachers from five Bay Area high schools and one adult school convened at the San Francisco Fed to learn about the importance of personal finance skills in planning for college and careers. This was the second annual Federal Reserve Financial Education Day, which was established as a day of workshops at Feds around the System to provide tools for making wise choices when investing in education and planning for the future. The SF Fed Economic Education Group hosted the event.

In a series of morning breakout sessions, the students participated in a hands-on personal finance workshop facilitated by Lorraine Thayer and learned about the purposes and functions of the Fed from Steven Fisher. They also attended a session to learn about ways of financing college though scholarships. The presentation was delivered by Rema Oxandaboure, but was developed by Joel Bervell, a Yale undergraduate from Seattle who collected over $200,000 in scholarships before graduating from high school.

Teacher Spotlight: Amy Evers

Date October 15, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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Our Spotlight series continues this week, where we talk with teachers who are making a difference in the field of economic education.

In today’s installment, we’re talking with Amy Evers, who teaches AP U.S. government, AP economics (macro and micro), US government honors, and “We are the People” at Clark High School in Las Vegas, NV.

Here is what she had to say:

How long have you been teaching economics? What do you love most about it?

This is my sixth year teaching economics. Initially when I was told I would teach the class I not excited at all! I struggled with economics in college and was concerned that I would only confuse students since I was quite confused as well. However, I saw it as a challenge that I had to overcome.

I spent the summer teaching myself economics and went to an AP Economics Summer Institute for additional help. The first year was difficult at times but I had a very understanding group of students and things gradually got easier.

Tune in this weekend: “10 Things You Don’t Know About Money” on H2

Date October 8, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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Earlier this year, punk rocker turned History Channel program host Henry Rollins visited the Los Angeles Branch of the San Francisco Fed to film an episode for his 10 Things You Don’t Know About series.

Rollins and the show’s producers wanted to focus on a relatively obscure era in our nation’s currency history – when currency circulating in Hawaii was replaced with specially marked notes in anticipation of a potential invasion by Japan during World War II. Fed Historian Gary Richardson was interviewed about these “Hawaii notes.”

Rollins also interviewed Cash Director Rita Aguilar about the Fed’s cash operations and the use of the shredded currency to generate electricity.

Watch the episode when it airs this Saturday, October 11th, at 10:00pm ET / 11:00pm PT on H2.

The program will also be available on History.com, iTunes, and Amazon.

Also, in case you missed it: Five Things You May Not Know About Money

Andrea Abrams contributed to this post. Photo via.

Personal finance blog resources

Date October 2, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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Last week, we suggested a few economics blogs as resources. This week, we’re turning our focus to blogs that address topics related to personal finance and financial literacy.

These blogs were all winners of the Plutus Awards at the 5th Annual FinCon Expo, a peer conference for the financial media community.

Best New Personal Finance Blog: Listen, Money Matters!

Andrew Fiebert and Matt Giovanisci hail from New England, and they have self-proclaimed themselves a personal finance nerd and a reformed debt addict, respectively. Together, they explore money issues and share their research and learning with the purpose of helping others along the same path towards financial freedom and early retirement. They also maintain a podcast.

A few economic blog resources

Date September 26, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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As you know, there is a wealth of resources available online to instructors of economics. This week, we wanted to share some blogs that we thought you might find useful. Return next week to see blogs that focus on the topics of personal finance and financial literacy.

Girl Scouts visit Phoenix Processing Center

Date September 17, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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Just a quick post today to share a photo of Troop 966 (Peoria, AZ) from the Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, along with representatives of our Fed outreach team. These young women visited the SF Fed Phoenix Processing Center over the summer and got hands-on practice with personal finance by calculating income and creating a budget, along with learning how to save towards financial goals.

The Girl Scouts also viewed our cash operations and saw the coin and cash supply for the state of Arizona, while learning about the life cycle of cash in the U.S. A treasure hunt for piggy bank souvenirs completed their visit.

If you know an Arizona Girl Scout troop that would like to participate in our Phoenix office’s Girl Scout VIP Pass program, see the flyer below for more information.

Teacher Spotlight: Greg Blandino

Date September 11, 2014

Posted by Rema Oxandaboure

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Our Spotlight series continues this week, where we talk with teachers who are making a difference in the field of economic education.

In today’s installment, we’re talking with Greg Blandino, who teaches AP economics (micro and macro) and college prep economics at Monte Vista High School in Danville, CA.

Here is what he had to say:

How long have you been teaching economics? What do you love most about it?

I’ve been teaching economics for 27 years. I love when students connect their day-to-day behavior to economics ideas, theories, and principles discussed in the classroom.

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