Your Fed, Your Voice: Amanda Geiger
So, there are two kinds of people in the world. There are people who love economics, and there are people who just don’t know that they love economics. I have gotten to spend most of my professional life helping move people from the second category into the first.
My name is Amanda Geiger. I'm a senior economic education specialist with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. I get to create educational content for pre-K to college in economics and personal finance. And I get to work with teachers to help them be more confident in their instruction.
Economic education is critically important to making sure that the citizenry of a country understands the economy in which they are then expected to participate. The Federal Reserve works to support the financial system to make sure that it runs in a safe and sound manner. And by doing that, they’re working to help the U.S. economy achieve its goals of maximum employment and stable prices.
And they have a reputation in economic education for just really exceptional resources for teachers. The Eighth District has seven different states. We really work to make sure that we are reflective of their educational needs. A big part of our work is listening and being a part of these communities so that we can be responsive to changes.
We have an opportunity to offer them, at no monetary cost, these resources that they can use in their classroom. My favorite days are the days I get to actually work with teachers, so whether that’s a webinar or a workshop. It really helps me feel like I’m giving back to a community and a group that I have so much respect for and really loved being a part of.
Amanda Geiger, Senior Economic Education Specialist, St. Louis Fed
Geiger discusses her experience creating economic education materials for teachers and students. She works with communities throughout the Eighth Federal Reserve District to ensure the Fed offers educational resources that meet their needs. Geiger, who has an M.A. in economics and entrepreneurship, was a high school teacher for 12 years as well as an AP macroeconomics exam reader and table leader. Her favorite St. Louis Fed education resources include a game about trading candy, an auction activity that teaches inflation concepts and a lesson looking at the role of central banks.