Grade school gets ABCs of finance

"We're business people, not educators, so it's been interesting," said John Conover, president and CEO of Borel Bank.

Conover has been teaching fifth-graders at the predominantly Hispanic school about the role a CEO, a board of directors and shareholders play within a corporation. Surprisingly, he said kids get the concept.

After just four lessons, Conover said his class has a clear grasp of the lessons he's taught them. When asked to give an example of a corporation, he said the most popular response is correct - McDonald's.

They may seem like boring concepts, but it's all just a matter of making it in kids' language, said marketing officer Diana Landi.

Landi's been teaching second graders how different businesses make a community tick.

In one class, kids were divided into groups to represent three types of new businesses - a toy store, animal shelter and skate shop. Kids were asked to consider which store would bring the most benefit to the community.

One student pointed out that a toy store would be best located near a busy corner - but that may be too dangerous since many families would be walking around the area. In the end, the kids decided they wanted a skate shop.

"They are second graders after all," Landi said.

Yunmi Choi can be reached by e-mail at yunmi@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.