On March 4, a documentary produced by Next-Generation Personal Finance (NGPF) and FICO about financial literacy was screened at the High School for Fashion and Design Industries. The film, called The Most Important Course You Never Had, showcases teachers and students from across the United States. From Townsend Harris High School, physical education, health, and financial literacy teacher Jamal Bermudez was featured for teaching real-life lessons and introducing practical financial skills within the classroom. 

“Amazing people, and other people like [Mr. Bermudez], are pushing this idea that we need to be educating high schoolers more about money before they get into the real world,” said Robert Jury, the film’s Director of Photography. The documentary features teachers and students who started financial literacy education programs at their school across the country. “You will see interviews [and] stories across the entire United States, including Mr. Bermudez at your school.”

After the screening, a panel discussion followed, which included Mr. Bermudez. 

After starting a Financial Literacy class at Townsend Harris in 2024, Mr. Bermudez and THHS were contacted by NGPF to be featured in the documentary. When he first learned he would be in the documentary, Mr. Bermudez said he felt both nervous and excited. “I was experiencing imposter syndrome,” he said. He did not consider his knowledge of finance to be immense, so he was worried about being “featured as a financial guru, the person to go to for all finance questions.”

A major point Mr. Bermudez highlighted in the documentary was how he shared his own financial  mistakes with students as “case studies.” He said in his class, he “shares my real life stories and my mistakes, and invites students to share mistakes they might have made as kids or mistakes their parents might have made when they were younger.” 

Mr. Bermudez said, “low income people can become smarter [with their money] and live full lives” without having a high income, which is the most important take away from this documentary. “I’ve always thought you needed more money to be happy. But just being able to be smart with money is what I found as a gift. And if I can teach that to people, that’s what I’m hoping to do.”

“The message was so consistent amongst the students and the teachers across the country,” said Mr. Jury, whose film crew traveled across the United States to capture the documentary. “When you see this ripple, it’s about the moment of this type of education. So for students, unlike people like me who didn’t have this sort of education, hopefully you’ll have it and know what to do with your money more.”

“I think that school is supposed to be a place where students learn about what [finance is like in real life]” said junior Brailyn Almonte, who was at the event. She said she believes financial literacy is “something that students should be learning about because it’s very applicable to the real world. I think that students deserve the opportunity to know what it means to open a bank account, the difference between a debit card and a credit card, and the importance of a credit score and how serious taking out loans is.”

Brailyn took Mr. Bermudez’s Financial Literacy class in her sophomore year, and said it was particularly helpful when thinking about financing college. “College is something that students in high school don’t really cover until early on in their senior year. And I feel like that’s a little late for students to start thinking about what they’re going to do. And so I was able to get a head start on that. It was able to give me a little bit of ease knowing that I have the opportunity to be helped financially when it comes to college.” 

In an opinion article in The Classic, Brailyn described how she learned about finance by listening to youtube videos her father played in the car ride to school every morning. “When my dad found out that I was taking the class, he was definitely excited for me. And I would come home and I would tell him what we learned from that day.” Because of the class, she said, “the conversations with my dad have become richer and richer.”

Beyond the classrooms, financial education experts say financial literacy has long-term impacts on students’ lives. “If you know how to manage your money, you’re more secure in the future that you’re going to have,” Maria Smith told The Classic at the event, Ms. Smith is the director of financial literacy and education outreach for the New York State Comptroller’s Office. “There’s so much emotional stress and physical stress around money, and if you can’t manage your money you can’t make it out of the cycle [of poverty],”  

A challenge that many school districts across the country face that prevents universal financial literacy education from being implemented is funding. “With a lot of great ideas and education initiatives, there needs to be sustainable funding,” said Melanie Mac, who works in personal finance, supporting students in their career choices, social economics, security, and stability. “Our role is to support [funding] sources so teachers are ready and they are practicing for students and families to give input on curriculum. All of this just takes resources.”

NGPF has supported programs like Mr. Bermudez’s through grant funding aimed at expanding financial literacy nationwide. NGPF received about $375,000 from the FEE Grant program, funded by Michael Jordan, businessman and retired basketball player. According to a press release in 2022, “Through the FEE Grant program, NGPF partners with the largest U.S. public school systems who share a commitment to increasing the financial capability of their students.”

Marsha Iverson, New York City personal finance specialist in New York City Public Schools and professor at Hofstra University, said that educating students in personal finance is important because students will pass their knowledge onto their families, widening the scope of the program. “There is excitement that comes from learning something they know not only will the kids benefit, but their parents will also benefit for many years to come,” said Iverson.

For Mr. Bermudez, the documentary isn’t about fame or recognition. It’s about giving students the tools to make smarter financial decisions and live more secure lives. “Being smart with money,” he said, “is the real gift. If I can teach that to people, that’s what I hope to do.”