728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Back to School Headquarters › Job and School

Job and School

Can Your Teen Handle Both?

By Deborah Boehle

Pages:  1  2  3  

Ideally, Wegman says teens should get a job that will contribute to their education, rather than simply provide money.

This is exactly how Donna Bastian, of Yorkville, Ill., viewed jobs for her four teenage children. "I presented the whole job thing as a privilege to be earned by getting good grades first," she says. "Then, I only allowed jobs that were in line with their interest or something they could learn from not just a job for a job's sake."

Bastian's 23-year-old daughter, Amanda, is a musician. As a teen, she played for weddings and performed in chamber music ensembles as part of the Chicago Youth Symphony. Her daughter will soon graduate from college and will begin auditioning for professional symphonies in January.

Striking a Balance
Whatever the job, teens must find the balance between school and work. Rita Hoover, of Geneva, Ill., said her son works at a local fast food restaurant from 5 to 8 p.m. during the week and 5 to sometimes 10 p.m. on the weekends.

"Max balances his work and life quite well," she says. "He only works one or two nights during the week and has a study hall last period so he gets most of his homework done then."

Unfortunately, not all employers are so thoughtful about teenagers' requirements for sleep and studying. Kim Dechert, of Geneva, Ill., said her son's employer expected him to work until 10 p.m. on school nights.

"I didn't like that," she says."I thought it was too late, especially if there was still homework to do or tests to study for."

Obviously, parents should not allow a teenager to get a job if they are failing any of their classes at school, and they should have them quit their job if grades take a noticeable drop. In the interim, Wegman says parents should always be talking to their kids about their job and school, making sure that homework assignments are being submitted in time and that they are getting enough sleep. Parents also need to be aware of the laws regarding teen labor, to be certain their child is not being asked to do anything illegal or dangerous.

Pages:  1  2  3  


Want to see more?