Dad, my wallet is worth half a million dollars (CAD)! How do you manage that? I did not learn that at school!

This is my son's expression on July 14, 2016 at 22:38. The Steem had just reached the peaks. 

My son is an adept of voluntary simplicity, a great philosopher who loves to approach all the great subjects of life, both social, political and religious. 

Three years ago, he became interested in the crypto currency and the social theories that accompany him. He hoped one day to make some gains with the cryptos, it is the currency of the future, he said. And this day arrived by surprise.

So, what can be the reaction of a father to his son before such turmoil? 

1. First, relax and breathe through the nose. 
2. Secondly, you have to realize that this is a portfolio of crypto currency, that the cryptos are very volatile and that this money will be real only when it is deposited in its bank account. So do not sell the skin of the bear before killing it. 
3. Tercio, it is as difficult to keep this gain and to make it grow as to acquire it. 

In the meantime, as we had not learned, it was time to do so and consult. This is not the kind of thing we learn at school, but it has provided us with the tools to be able to continue learning. 

Even accounting firms and tax professionals do not yet know exactly how to handle this new form of currencies. Having never had a lot of money, I could not teach him how to handle big sums. 

Learning finances at school? 

First, learning economics or finances is learned before school, from our childhood. Our parents taught us the scarcity / abundance of goods, the value of goods by barter, exchange based on a currency, how to negotiate, save or delay a purchase. Thereafter, it is a question of refining these behaviors. 

The school opens up a larger universe, namely: knowledge of institutions, laws and the operation of economies. 

In December 2016, the Minister of Education of Quebec announces that there will be a compulsory course in Financial Education starting in September 2017 for the graduate level, namely students aged 15-17. http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1006333/cours-education-financiere-obligatoire-5e-secondaire-rentree-2017 

Usually, it takes five years to implement a new program: committee formation, consultation with teachers, organizations, businesses, various social workers, program development, ministerial approval, teacher training and preparation of teaching materials.  

However, for the course announced, it is simply the reactivation of a redrafted former optional program, all that in less than 9 months! 

http://www1.education.gouv.qc.ca/sections/programmeFormation/secondaire2/index_en.asp?page=social2 

This program comes from a society, in a social context and at a given time: full employment, lack of labor in the technical sectors, growth in consumption, purchasing and credit power. 

[extract from program] 

In short, the social model proposed is: to be a good citizen, you must become a good employee and a well-informed consumer. 

If the government endorses this model, it is not solely responsible for it: it only applies the advice received from multiple participants in society. 

What the program does not contain. 

The program does not take into account the evolution of society over the last twenty years. We have gone from a primary and secondary economy to a service economy, from a local economy to a global economy, from full employment with security to precariousness. 

New models have emerged: self-employment, remote work, sometimes with several countries. 

The paradigms have changed: I am not an employee but an entrepreneur, I do not solicit a job, I offer services, I do not accept a salary, I negotiate or fix my fees, not in a building but "online". 

Admittedly, the program offers a good basic training for a consumer employee but offers little guidance for entrepreneurship. 

If teachers apply the program guidelines, they may lose some players. Are they aware of changes in the labor market, who are salaried with job security? Do they know what is at stake for the self-employed, working at a distance? Will they be able to teach and communicate what they do not know? 

Of course, few school programs can adapt to the same rhythm as the evolution of societies. By the time a program is set up, the society has already evolved at a rapid pace. Societies are moving in different directions. What will be the dominant direction? 

Learning tools 

Learning is efficient if it meets needs, if there is interest, a desire to learn, and motivating learning tools. The Internet is full of pedagogical applications. Most are segmented, targeting specific skills and abilities. There are few "globalizing" applications. 

Steemit could be this type of tool. It provides a powerful incentive, currency. On the other hand, the absence of organization in communities, the strategy-oriented voting system like a lottery, the absence of crypto-fiat interconnection, all these elements do not make it a recommendable teaching tool. 

 

However, Viva, according to its white paper, could offer the "live" implementation of the financial education program: 

• A currency, 
• A salary, 
• A savings and a current account, 
• A place where to spend their money - students are paid for their work or projet 
• A social media, its communities and its interactions where mutual support and collaboration can be developed for projects beyond the academic framework. 
• A wallet allowing trading, crypto <-> fiat and debit card exchanges 
• all-in-one application : the Vivaconomy 

Wonderfull! 

Hopefully, this product will become a reality in the very near future. I have several projects for schools, community organizations and international cooperation.