A Critically Compassionate Approach to Financial Literacy

Book excerpt: A Critically Compassionate Approachto Financial Literacy offers a unique approach to conceptualizing financial literacy. Differentiating between notions of financial worth and personal self-worth, the authors present a description of financial literacy tenets founded in principles of self-awareness and cooperative community that are rooted in principles of compassion. Basing their work on principles of psychological and archeological research that associates personal wellness with self-security based on principles of trust, the authors posit that personal fulfillment occurs independently of accumulated financial resources. Featuring standards for Grades 4 and 8, offering stimulating questions for discussion, and ideas for classroom activities, ACritically Compassionate Approach to Financial Literacy represents an engaging classroom resource for elementary and middle level social studies methods courses as well as those that concern topics that relate to culturally responsive teaching and social justice. Regardless of your financial background and awareness, this text will challenge your thinking about the meaning of being financially literate and the consequences for society.