Economic Principles, 7th-12th, 2026-2027 Academic Year

$250 covers the entire course.

Economic Principles: Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? (grades 7-12, no previous experience necessary)

Minimum 4 students.

Instructor J. Bell

Times and dates subject to change if you purchase this class before April 1st, 2026.

Mondays @9:55-10:35am CST

1st semester: 8/31-12/14 (no class on 9/7, 9/21, 9/28)

2nd semester: 1/4-4/5 (no class on 3/29)

Required text: Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?

Optional text: A Bluestocking Guide: Economics

Once you purchase the class and fill out THIS REGISTRATION FORM, we will email you the Google Classroom code. That's where you'll find your link to Zoom, etc. If you register fewer than 24 hours before the first class starts, the class recording will be made available to you. Contact us if you wish to begin later in the semester. 

Mister Jesse loves learning about economics. In fact, he has always loved it, but he has attended some pretty boring classes in his time. He doesn't like boring classes, so he aims to make his lessons engaging and fill his students' minds with underlying economic principles that they will carry with them throughout life.

Through live discussion and hands-on critical thinking, attendees will gain knowledge and insight that won't fade from memory as soon as classes end. In fact, his classes don't require any rote memorization but instead prioritize understanding "why?"

Join with Mister Jesse as he leads his class along a historical adventure, all the while analyzing the actions and motivations that have affected the US economy over time. When students graduate from this course, they'll be informed citizens who have learned and practiced critical thinking skills.

Every single class will involve discussion of the source text and/or comprehension questions that correlate to each chapter. Mister Jesse's role will be to help students understand concepts, recognize biases, analyze past events, and discuss economic principles. His goal is to engage every student in an effort to foster growth, confidence, and retention.

Mister Jesse will advance at the pace of the students, taking longer with some assignments if necessary. The result is that some groups of students may not entirely finish the book. The ultimate goal is retention and understanding of presented concepts, not 100% completion of the course.

The course is taught in 2-week cycles.

First class of each cycle:

During class: read and discuss the new source text as a class with a heavy focus on understanding terms, events, cause & effect, etc. Students will ask questions, note interesting details, and engage in discussion. Optional homework: discuss with parents and/or answer comprehension questions ahead of next week's class (if you have purchased A Bluestocking Guide: Economics).

Second class of each cycle:

During class: discuss the comprehension questions for the previous week's source text, emphasizing student independence of research and thought process. Homework: Read next week's new chapter ahead of class, noting questions and interesting details. Optional: Discuss and study answers to comprehension questions. Parents may administer quiz over the comprehension questions if they have purchased the optional text (A Bluestocking Guide: Economics).

To see instructor credentials, check out our FAQ page.

Online classes meet via Zoom.

No refunds unless the class is canceled. If a student is unable to complete the class for some reason, they will still have access to the weekly videos. :)