Class Helps Students With Real-World Finances

POUGHKEEPSIE – Wander into Poughkeepsie High School special education teacher Nancy Dingee’s Financial Algebra class and you will see her students engaged and watching the stock market as closely as a broker would.

During the second period class on Nov. 8, Dingee and her students talked about everything from the intricacies of the stock market to why certain companies’ stock’s have gone up or down.

Many of Dingee’s students did not know much about the stock market prior to taking her class – now they are becoming experts.

“You guys understand stock splits, you understand the buying, you understand the risk,” Dingee told the class. “You understand all those aspects.”

Senior Cornell Dennis, a natural public speaker, explained to the class how Apple’s shares soared after it introduced a new phone by using graphs displayed by a projector.

“That’s why the stock is going pretty high right now,” Dennis explained.

Student Cornell Dennis tells the class about Apple’s stock price.Assistant Principal and Math Coordinator Robert Parkes stopped by to see the students’ progress and they explained what they were working on.

Dingee has taught the class for two years. Her students are learning about real-life financial situations such as using a debit card and having a mortgage and enjoy every minute of it.

“I’m blown away with the fact that they want to sit here and they want to talk business,” she said. “It’s one of my favorites.”

Besides following stocks, Dingee has brought in guest speakers and plans to take her students to Wall Street in April.

Dennis wants to trade stocks in the future and the course has been beneficial. He praised Dingee for helping him and his fellow students easily understand the topics.

“It’s been helping me read stocks,” Dennis said. “This will definitely help out with what I want to do in the future.”

Junior Keith Reed was happy to be placed in the class, as he wants to invest in stocks when he turns 18 and the lessons are preparing him for it. He has followed Domino’s Pizza and Game Stop stocks in class.

“I knew of stocks, but I didn’t know it was this deep in detail,” Reed said. “It’s actually pretty fun for me.”