Why do middle class parents make their kids hold jobs during the school year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I grew up my father told me from a young age that school was my job. Yes my parents paid for care, gas, insurance and spending money. It was an older car and the spending money was not unlimited by any means. I had at least as much money as someone working 15 hours a week as pocket money.

I have a 17 year old and do the same thing with her. She get everything paid for and I give maybe $50 a week for incidentals.

She is a now a junior and will qualify for National Merit Scholar. She will be applying for some top schools that are very eager to get students with her great grades (perfect 4.0) and perfect SAT score (1600). I'm fairly confident that she would not have been able to do this if she was required to work a part-time job. During last summer she spent almost 20 hours a week during the summer (when not traveling) on studying for the PSAT/SAT. This was her job and she really hammered at it.

Every kid is different and I do not for a minute that everyone should do what I do. But the $5k that she might have earned is far less than the scholarships that she will earn for college.

So she will get into a college she is truly not meant to be in. When most of the rest with perfect scores can knock it out quickly and own their own, she will be falling behind looking for 20 hours a week to study for each final exam. Sounds dreadful.

Your so stupid its comical. There are a couple of tests that define where you go in life.

College - PSAT / SAT / ACT

Medical School - MCAT

Business School - GMAT

Law School - LSAT

These are in combination with your grades from school that you literally spend thousands of hours on. So spending 8 weeks (some off weeks for travel) at 20 hours per week is 160 hours plus maybe another 100 hours during August, September and October is lets say 240 hours.

Lets compare this to playing on the football team in high school.

10 week season plus 3 week preseason plus 2 weeks playoff @ 12.5 hours a week (2 1/2 hours a day which excludes travel time to away games etc) This is 187.5 hours in one season or 750 hours for a 4 year athlete. Makes the 240 hours sound reasonable yet?

Also if you believe that the high scoring students don't study, do you also believe that top tier football players don't lift weights? Practice during off-season?

Your thinking is WAY off-base!

I played two sports and received great grades and made into college, law school, etc... It isn't one or the other.

Are you saying kids need to spend as much time studying as sports players do with sports. You do realize they are already in school for 7 hours and get a few hours of homework. The sports are the exercise, fresh air, social companion ship, and team work ethic they need to branch away from the school pressure. They don't practice 2 hours a day everyday off-season but for you, you add on 2 more hours a day of studying "to get good grades." Geez lady. Your poor kids. ZERO life balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather have a kid who can grind out 10hr study sessions than a kid who's mediocre and can't compete when they get college. Acting like high-level academics isn't work is ignorant and short sighted.

Alarm bells would be blaring in my head if my kid was regularly grinding out 10 hour study sessions. That's piss poor time management.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather have a kid who can grind out 10hr study sessions than a kid who's mediocre and can't compete when they get college. Acting like high-level academics isn't work is ignorant and short sighted.

Alarm bells would be blaring in my head if my kid was regularly grinding out 10 hour study sessions. That's piss poor time management.

+1. I am a teacher. 10 hour study sessions, all-nighters, etc. almost always signify a student who failed to adequately manage their time, or that they are in a class that is too difficult for them and should move down a level. Or both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents never made me working during the school year. School was my job. 5-figure HHI, for whatever that's worth.

I wanted a job but my parents wouldn't let me. They said school was my job, plus I ran cross country and indoor/outdoor track. I did babysit. It wasn't like they were rolling in dough either, my Dad was a teacher and my Mom was an artist whose real focus was the kids, so gallery showings were few and far between. 15 yo DD wants a job, and I'm considering it this summer, but not sure. She could work a few hours at a local coffee shop that hires the teens, alternatively there are folks in the neighborhood looking for part time sitting during the day (she doesn't drive yet). But that is just the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather have a kid who can grind out 10hr study sessions than a kid who's mediocre and can't compete when they get college. Acting like high-level academics isn't work is ignorant and short sighted.

Alarm bells would be blaring in my head if my kid was regularly grinding out 10 hour study sessions. That's piss poor time management.

Or usually a parent pushing a kid past their ability by taking so many AP and honors courses.