84 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Mandatory Basics, and Beyond Virginia and 26 other U.S. states mandate that all students pass a class in personal finance before graduation. If your at-post high school doesn’t offer a personal finance class, your teen can enroll in an online course through Virtual Virginia or the remote school in your home state. Many private online schools, including Hemispheres Academy (run by an FS family member), also offer singlesemester or yearlong courses in personal finance. Look for an accredited provider to make it easier to qualify for reimbursement under the supplemental instruction allowance. Interested students can also look for courses that cover not just the basics but also explore investments, alternative currencies, and taxation. If they’re already at university, teens can seek support from, or train to become, peer financial counselors through the financial aid office. Other financial realities to prepare them for include: recognizing credit card traps, protecting against financial scams and identity theft, taking advantage of side hustles and gig economy work, handling an emergency, and paying personal taxes to both the IRS and to the state where they live and work. On the Plus Side Though today’s FS teens may not be financially fluent, they have acquired significant skills that will greatly enhance their ability to build the future. Confidence when talking to adults. The vast majority of teens I work with are ready to engage with adults on all levels of subjects. They can talk confidently about themselves and have a rather professional online presence. I ascribe this strength to their regular exposure to adult social environments as part of the Foreign Service community, their higher-than-average levels of participation in speaking-focused activities like Model United Nations or debate club, and the smaller student bodies at international schools that give students more opportunities to participate and lead in both extracurricular activities and the classroom. This confidence means our students are also significantly more willing to reach out for help from teachers or peers, a habit college professors and admissions officers recognize as critical to success for new college freshmen. Willingness to try something new or try again. A life of transitions, varied friend groups, and exposure to different teaching and learning styles make FS kids significantly more willing to both fail and to try again than many other teens. This growth mindset is a direct result of the International Baccalaureate’s curricular emphasis on becoming a risk-taker who approaches challenges with enthusiasm and confidence in a The advent of artificial intelligence and the significant social changes of recent years have made many more of my students interested in broader liberal arts and sciences fields.
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