Studies show that people recall details better when they are immersed--and nothing is more immersive than virtual reality (VR), where there are no distractions. VR is helping people overcome challenges such as test anxiety, phobias, PTSD and even the fear of public speaking.

Six years ago, Kevin Plummer offered me the job of Head of the Upper School at Tampa Prep. As I researched the school and then experienced it firsthand when I interviewed, one aspect of the school culture in particular was incredibly attractive. The faculty, administration and staff were unafraid to boldly pursue the answer to the question, “What is best for students?”

In today’s academic climate, students are constantly encouraged to get as much real-world experience as possible. Here at Tampa Prep, our seniors spend the final weeks of their high school career participating in off-campus internships related to their future field of study. This allows them to start off their college years with experience already on their resume. But what about the experience gained in the classroom, let alone, an elective classroom? More specifically, the elective I teach:  journalism.

A few years ago, my World History class and I were discussing economics. They opined that while basic personal financial skills should be part of family discussions, realistically they are not. They admitted they did not know basic finance, but they wanted to. So together, we worked out a list of personal finance topics that would make for a pragmatic semester class.