LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Teena Ruth was nominated by Victoria Johnson, her district's director of curriculum.

Finance guru Warren Buffett has been quoted as saying, "The more you learn, the more you'll earn." This quote is uniquely fitting for Mrs. Ruth. She does much more than teach her students about financial literacy; she advocates that they live it.

Mrs. Ruth has consistently created a multi-year culture of financial education and financial freedom for ninth grade students in Canton Public School District. Each year, Mrs. Ruth helps to coordinate her students' participation in a Financial Reality Fair. During this Reality Fair, students are matched with a monthly income based on their current GPA, and they are required to visit various booths to pay bills, buy necessities, and purchase luxury items. Students with higher GPAs are given a higher "salary" and are able to afford more.

"I have witnessed students' engagement with this process over several years, and it is beyond eye opening for them. Many students have remarked that they saw the need to 'get their grades up' after participating in the Reality Fair," said Johnson.

Mrs. Ruth also ensures that students are taught valuable life skills that go beyond what is measured on standardized testing. She teaches them the true value of money, and she brings it down to earth for them. Many students operate under the concept of money as it's shown on television or presented through music. Mrs. Ruth ensures that her students understand the concept of paying bills, managing money, and utilizing a bank account. Many of her students are economically disadvantaged, or from households in which English is not the primary language. The skills that Mrs. Ruth teaches these students ensure they're able to live life to its fullest by understanding financial resources.

Even beyond helping her students understand basic financial literacy, Mrs. Ruth has taught them to understand the stock market. Her students have consistently won regional awards for their performance in The Stock Market Game, an online simulation of the global capitol markets that engages students in the world of investing and personal wealth building.

"Her students have done so well that I recently invested my personal money in the stocks that they recommended, and I have increased my initial investment by 900%...no exaggeration," said Johnson. "Mrs. Ruth is creating multiple cohorts of students who will not only know the value of wealth, but will be on their way to creating generational wealth for their families. If that isn't life-changing, I don't know what is."