‘A Banker In Every Classroom’

Governor Phil Bryant has proclaimed November 3rd – 7th as “A Banker in Every Classroom Week” in Mississippi. During this week, hundreds of Mississippi bankers will join local teachers throughout the state to present lessons in personal finance in grades K through 12. The Mississippi Bankers Association is sponsoring this project, which will be presented in public and private schools across the state.

This is the fourth year that the MBA is sponsoring “A Banker in Every Classroom Week.” In its first three years, the program has reached over 35,000 students in the state of Mississippi. Last year bankers provided nearly 400 presentations to local schools. Over the past three years, 1,000 presentations have been made during “A Banker in Every Classroom” week.

Amy Davis, M.B.A. Senior Vice President, came up with the idea of “A Banker in Every Classroom” and has managed it from the beginning in 2011. She says the project is intended to meet the critical need for financial education in the state. “Bankers and teachers both recognize the importance of educating Mississippi’s young people on personal finance,” Davis says. “This project focuses on getting bankers and teachers together to address this need in the local classroom.” In four years, the project has developed many banker-teacher relationships which continue to benefit students, Davis adds.

With hundreds of classroom sessions scheduled during the week, and more to be set during the rest of the school year, “A Banker in Every Classroom” is one of the biggest financial education projects in Mississippi schools.

After teachers and bankers register to participate, the M.B.A. “matches” them into teams that make the classroom presentations. While the M.B.A. provides age-appropriate materials, Davis stresses that there is no required curriculum. “We want the local teacher and banker to decide what is needed by their students,” she says. “Sessions can cover savings, credit, budgeting, or any topic they choose.”

The M.B.A. is a statewide trade association serving all commercial banks and savings institutions operating in Mississippi. The association’s mission includes the delivery of consumer education throughout the state.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Rachel Chew, Manager of Communications, Mississippi Bankers Association
Telephone (601) 948-6366; Email rchew@msbankers.com