<p>D1 started working summer after freshman year and did keep that job through the school year. She’ll be a senior next year and has almost full-time hours this summer. She hopes to earn enough to take a much laxer schedule next year, perhaps just subbing - but believe me, she can pick up a ton of hours doing that. </p>
<p>D2 is a rising freshman. She’s been instructed to try everything she wants as a freshman because as a sophomore, she’s getting a job. Best know what activities are important enough to keep as she won’t be keeping them all.</p>
<p>You’ve seen the argument for responsibility, etc (and those are great arguments - I guarantee working, especially with the public, teaches lessons no activity is ever going to cover). But I’ll add another. Working is a lesson in humility, which is one thing I think most teens need. A former gymnast herself, D1 now coaches gymnastics. She deals with the parents who think their 4 year olds are star athletes. She deals with melt-downs (and believe me, a frustrated 13 yo gymnast can have a gigantic melt-down) without getting sarcastic because if she makes a wrong move, mom is watching through the window and will go right to the owner. She deals with mouthiness because she is the employee and the kids are paying customers. </p>
<p>It is my hope, too, that the kids develop compassion by working with others. Go to an ivy, land a job at the end, and the only experience a kid is likely to have with a whole class of people is through “service” (i.e. charity). I don’t like that. Work at a fast food place, a grocery store, a discount store - your kids will learn a great deal about life from the other adults working there. My kids have it much better than I do. When my academic robes come off, my collar is still blue. I know what it’s like to qualify for free lunch in high school. I do not want my kids developing a sense of entitlement, and I fear that the “too busy” to work argument creates that.</p>
<p>So, I do believe in the importance of work for high school students. Seasonal or year round probably doesn’t matter much, as long as there’s an outside employer. If you’re having trouble finding something that is merely seasonal, lots of kids manage to work during the school year (many active kids here work at a grocery store that has Sunday shifts) and keep their grades up.</p>