Students at WS are looking to cash in on an opportunity to take Personal Finance on their own time.

A class similar to Economics and Personal Finance (E.P.F) was a part of the curriculum for a while, but to the displeasure of many students, recently became required to graduate last year. The class focuses on teaching important lessons about such skills as writing checks, getting loans, and investing for the future.

“It is good to learn this stuff sooner than later,” said senior Colin Kamerer. “You learn a lot.”

The class has taken WS by storm since the mandate, with 17 sections of the course this year. Since everyone has to take it, there are limited alternatives for those that want to get the credit. If a student wants, they can take AP Micro and Macro Economics for the credit to graduate, but most students would rather listen to Iggy Azalea’s freestyle on repeat than go that route.

Fortunately for students that actually respect rap, there is another option for those that don’t want to slug through a whole year of the class. But it requires some things that teenagers don’t always have: free time and motivation. This option is to take the class online, which is attractive to students that want to free up a space for another elective.

“I wouldn’t want to take it outside of school,” said Kamerer. “I like my summers.”

The course is a self-directed class that students can take throughout the year or during the summer. Participants are assigned a teacher to monitor their progress and are added to a Blackboard site. But students have to keep up with the units and actually do the work. It’s not always an easy A.

“To do an online class, students have to be pretty motivated and self-directed because they can’t slack off on that,” said counselor Jeff Stahl.  “In any online class in FCPS if you don’t log on for some time and start falling behind in your work, then it will be hard to catch up.”

With this option, some wonder if it’s necessary to take the class in school. Many kids are in after school activities and enjoy their summers, while others might want to sacrifice some free time in order to make sure they get another elective in. Since it is a general computer based class, it proves that it can work both ways and it gives people a choice, and while everyone has different opinions, there is really no wrong answer.

“It really depends on people’s learning styles,” said E.P.F. teacher Kelly Krek. “If somebody prefers to work on their own and really wants to free up space for another elective, then [online] is a great option. For those that love interaction in a classroom and in depth information, then the classroom is a great option.”

To sign up, there is a simple registration form that students can get from their counselors. All they have to do is fill it out, turn it in, and then once it’s approved, they are home free to learn all about money!