FLCP x Bodine High School
In response to the COVID-19 crisis many educational programs are adapting their curriculum. Bridges to Wealth and the Financial Literacy Community Project have modified their final assignments allowing many student groups to jump into action with business proposals to support communities throughout this pandemic.
One pressing issue is adapting to online learning. Students are often homeschooling as a substitute for their classroom settings. Parents have become teachers to their kids. However, in this difficult time, parents have a hard time juggling responsibilities, and many students lack digital access in their homes. Bodine High School students, led by their Penn student teacher Davery Joso, have come up with a business plan to help students who don’t have access to online learning. They propose giving digital access for working-from-home students via a computer and tablet donation drive, implementing a portable wifi router loan system, and creating digital learning packets following a syllabus and utilizing pre-existing platforms such as Khan Academy and Inquizitive. This program would be housed in a large portable tent - a digital learning tent - strictly adhering to social distancing guidelines. There would be paid moderators - parents, community members - whose duties include tech support, sanitization after each student, and tracking time and usage. This project would help address the accessibility issues of online learning programs, offer support to parents who are struggling with their newfound role as teachers, and create job opportunities for families and community members who serve as moderators.
The Financial Literacy Community Project is a community-centered program that places Penn students in Philadelphia high schools. The student teachers partner with high school students to learn Keith Weigelt’s financial literacy curriculum. For more information, visit www.FLCProject.com and www.bridges2wealth.org/programs.
By Lizzy Schlichting