Physical Education teacher Jamal Bermudez introduced a new financial literacy course to help students at Townsend Harris build skills in budgeting, debt management, and smart decision-making. His work will be featured in an upcoming documentary produced by Next Generation Personal Finance (NGPF), an organization that works with schools across the country to expand access to financial literacy courses.
“It’s important for you all to learn about personal finance because the habits and knowledge you build early often shape your lifelong financial well being,” Mr. Bermudez said. “Many young people graduate knowing how to solve complex math problems but don’t understand how to manage a bank account, budget, or use credit responsibly.”
Mr. Bermudez has been teaching at THHS for ten years, and his passion for finance led him to NGPF, a program that inspired him to propose a financial literacy class to Principal Brian Condon and Assistant Principal of Organization, Ellen Fee. This proposal was approved in 2024, marking the start of Mr. Bermudez’s Financial Literacy course journey.
In his health classes, Mr. Bermudez frequently speaks about life after high school and managing personal finances. Ms. Fee said, “That led him to pursue resources such as the [NGPF] program. He came to me and said that he’d like to be a part of it.”
While teaching his elective course, Mr. Bermudez was invited to be featured in an upcoming NGPF documentary after meeting with NGPF representatives at a conference. The documentary, called The Most Important Class You Never Had, looks at teachers across the country who are working with NGPF’s mission. The documentary stresses that financial literacy is critical for all students, regardless of where they live, and that today’s educators and adults feel a growing sense of urgency to better prepare young people to manage their finances.
NGPF’s long-term goal is to ensure that all students have taken at least one Personal Finance course before graduation by 2030.
On the NGPF official website Co-founder Tim Ranzetta said, “our mission is ambitious: by 2030, every U.S. high school student will graduate having completed at least a one-semester course in personal finance. Together, we’re making financial education a reality for all.”
Mr. Bermudez said that his first year teaching the class was a success, and parents are happy their students are receiving this vital education. “When I meet with families at the [parent–teacher conferences,], they’re excited [to hear] that their children are learning about how to manage finances,” he said.
Physical education teacher Richard Rodriguez said that Mr. Bermudez is very passionate about his financial literacy class. “He has a way of breaking down complicated concepts so that students can actually understand it and apply it,” said Mr. Rodriguez. “You can tell he genuinely wants to prepare them for life beyond Townsend.”
“Mr. Bermudez is really energetic and a good teacher,” said sophomore Alexa Cotiga, who is currently enrolled in his Financial Literacy course. “He’s really dedicated to what he teaches.”
“Mr. Bermudez is a very nice teacher and he’s very fun. I think he makes [learning about] financial literacy accessible,” said senior Leslie Ortega, who is currently taking the course as well. “We will actually use the skills we learned from this class in real life, such as taxes and paying for college. I just really think it’s a very useful class to have, to learn how life goes.”
Mr. Bermudez said he hopes this documentary will bring more attention to the value of being financially literate and encourages more students to take charge of their financial futures.
