By Jasper Smith, GTA Instructor It never ceases to amaze me at the variety of career paths that the students want to take. My Spring group housed future doctors, lawyers (one student wants to be a District Attorney), computer programmers, electricians, video game designers, teachers, artist, veterinarians, etc. And as always, a […]
By Joanne Da Luz, GTA Instructor As long as everyone acts in their own best interest, we will all have our needs met. This is how I decided to open class this session. Students were greeted with five statements to which they had to select Agree or Disagree – this […]
by Michele Thorne, GTA Instructor There’s something about this time of year that gives us a universal sense that we must urgently “get away” to somewhere else and relax. It’s the calling of the masses of students everywhere to stop everything and go rejuvenate and have some fun. It’s […]
By Jasper Smith, GTA Instructor Having a firm understanding of the language of money is something I will make sure the students leave GTA with. I was shocked to learn that only 4 (out of 20!) students in my new group currently have a bank account, and of those that […]
My first Game Theory assignment landed me at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center for an unforgettable experience! We visited the facility in August in an effort to promote Game Theory’s fall opportunities for youth who would be released, and also just to introduce the basics of decision-making. The topic was […]
By Michele Thorne, GTA Instructor What we do at GTA is share information in an effort to level a very uneven playing field in terms of financial education. We play games and use fake money (for practical reasons), and have lots of fun, but the real world isn’t quite like […]
By GTA Instructor Krystal Fortner Teaching financial literacy and economics at Game Theory Academy sometimes makes me feel like I’m getting older. How, you may ask? Well, when I say to my students, “Remember the credit crisis that happened a few years ago?” they often look at me with blank […]
By GTA Instructor Krystal Fortner In December I finished teaching my third round of classes at Game Theory Academy, and I enjoy it more and more each time. Besides watching a beautiful sunset, I thoroughly enjoy witnessing students get really involved in a financial concept. What received a lot of […]
On any city street in Oakland, it’s hard to not see a sign that says “Check Cashing” or “Get Cash Fast Here.” There are over 2,500 payday lenders in the state of California and a large portion here in Northern California. To put that in perspective, there are about 1,200 […]
In the game of life, decisions, both large and small, will need to be made. From deciding on how much to spend on that fancy haircut for prom night or whether or not to attend a four-year college, these decisions will need strategic planning and some thoughtful understanding of what […]
