Scarlett Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 My ds16 gets up at 6:15 and leaves the house at 7:15 for vo tech 30 minutes away. He gets home from that at 11:30 -11:45. He then has high school trig/pre cal, American literature, and US History. He has been offered a job for 2 hours a day Mon-Friday. He would have roughly 3 hours to eat lunch and do his high school courses before going to work at 3-5 . His high school is public charter and flexible in that if he needed to finish stuff up in the evenings and on the weekends he could. This schedule seems tight....but totally doable. He is a little stressed about it.....but this is a kid who has spent a lot of time goofing off and staring into space because he wasn't challenged enough. His GPA ATM is 3.8. Is this too much in your opinion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 No it seems ok. If it turns out to be too much, he could quit the job. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 It sounds doable. Is your son college bound? If so, junior year is the year to take the PSAT which is offered only in October. He should also start thinking about when to take the SAT or ACT. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 It depends so much on the kid, and (in my experience) how much he likes the job, and how difficult those classes are for him. My daughter worked all through her junior year. She loves her job but her academics did slip a little during that year. But she is not super academic and her dual enrollment classes - the classes that matter most to her (and her potential college major) got done and done well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 27, 2016 Author Share Posted August 27, 2016 I would guess he is not immediately college bound. The job is for my boss,....I think 10 hours per week is not too much for a full time student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 I worked at least that then. I hated working so much though so I do lean towards having sympathy regarding this. Not that I think 10 hours is too much. What kind of work? It'll be an adjustment I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 27, 2016 Author Share Posted August 27, 2016 I worked at least that then. I hated working so much though so I do lean towards having sympathy regarding this. Not that I think 10 hours is too much. What kind of work? It'll be an adjustment I'm sure. In my boss's auto body shop doing grunt work. He did a bit of it this summer,,,,he was ok with it. I worked at least 10 hours a week my junior year. 25 or so my senior year. I didn't hate it. Ds needs the money too.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Well and he gets weekends off. That's nice. When I worked I worked all weekend and every Friday night and yadda yadda. So that seems pretty cushy. And built in PE. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 27, 2016 Author Share Posted August 27, 2016 Well and he gets weekends off. That's nice. When I worked I worked all weekend and every Friday night and yadda yadda. So that seems pretty cushy. And built in PE. I told him it is a real gift to not have to work nights or weekends at his age. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 (edited) Sounds OK to me, if he does not have any time consuming extracurriculars. DS worked 9 hours/week in Junior year, but he also spent 15+ hours on athletics. Edited August 27, 2016 by regentrude 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Sounds good. He has nights and weekends free. Many high school students have after school sports that mean they don't get home until dinnertime, and they have homework to do after dinner. Your ds doesn't sound over scheduled. Hope he has a great year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 That sounds fine. He will probably have some schoolwork on the weekend, which is to be expected. It shouldn't be an overwhelming amount at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 My 16yo ds is taking two dual enrollment classes and doing geometry and biology for me at home. He is working 9-12 most days, then class 1-3:00. I think it will be ok mainly because he does not have other demanding extracurriculars. I can also be flexible with the two courses he is doing for me. Mine also can use the money and I think he will benefit from the structure and having to manage his time. My older ds could not have worked at all in high school due to a sport and more ambitious academics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Ten hours a week is probably okay if he isn't in any extra curricular activities (sports, theater, etc). My children would work about that many hours during certain times of the year. If it was a season when their sport was taking place, they'd take a leave of absence from their job. But when you think of it, a school sport is probably two hours/day plus meets/games and that is usually doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Is he saying he doesn't want to take the job and you are encouraging him to do so? Or is he wanting the job but concerned about how he will handle his schedule? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I think it all depends on his transition time. Mine wouldn't get home and jump right into math, or lunch. But he has evenings and weekends to finish up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 Is he saying he doesn't want to take the job and you are encouraging him to do so? Or is he wanting the job but concerned about how he will handle his schedule? He is thankful,for,the job offer. But now nervous he can't do it. I think he can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 (edited) It sounds quite doable for a junior. The biggest issue my daughter would have is actually going to bed at a time to get a reasonable amount of sleep for the 6:15 wake up time. :) He might want to see if there are any assignments he can do ahead in some of that weekend time to give himself a little more room during the week for downtime, if he feels pinched. In our case, my daughter is doing Saxon advanced math at home (plus working through PWN SAT Math) on MWF, and I drop her for dual enrollment classes at 9:15 T/TH with pickup about 4:20. There's about an hour and a half between her first and second classes, for lunch and doing some homework. Her early class will end in early October, so she won't have to be there until 12:30. She also does a 1.5 hour aikido class M/F evenings/Sat am/Sun afternoon (45 min one way drive). So far, so good. She has thought about looking for a job, but we have a lot of college visits and a family weekend vacation trip in the early part of the semester, so we figured it was better to let her get into the swing of starting college classes before adding in a job. Edited August 28, 2016 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 I think it all depends on his transition time. Mine wouldn't get home and jump right into math, or lunch. But he has evenings and weekends to finish up. The days I am home I can help direct him......feed him...help him focus.......days I am gone it might be a crap shoot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 (edited) The days I am home I can help direct him......feed him...help him focus.......days I am gone it might be a crap shoot. In the end, at 16, a lot of it is just flat going to be up to him to figure out how to manage his time and realize he won't have as much free time as he may have had in the past. What is he willing to do to help address his time management concerns? I'd be giving him some suggested options and offer to help him try out those that he thinks might work. Would he be interested in setting reminder alarms on his phone or computer to help keep him on task, with built-in time-limited breaks? If he's concerned lunch/snacks might be a sticking point, could he prep a lunch the night before as if he were brownbagging it, so that there's no deciding, just grab and eat or heat and eat when he gets home? Would it help him to plan out each week's assignments over the weekend, breaking down things to do each day with checkboxes, so that he can see when he might need to work in the evening or over the weekend? I would suspect that the first week might be tough but that he will get into a rhythm, though that doesn't mean there won't be rough patches. Edited August 28, 2016 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 I did forget to ask---are his charter classes each every day? Is he on a semester block schedule or a year-long schedule? That will make a difference. If he's on a block schedule such that he has to finish a full credit in the one semester for all his classes, the workload may be such that he needs the extra time to complete assignments. All the local high schools here use a semester block schedule, with 3-4 classes per semester. Is there a lot of outside of class work needed for the program at the vo-tech school? Are the history and lit classes regular, honors, or AP, and does he know if they will have a heavy reading/writing schedule? Is he new to the vo-tech program or does he have a handle on how that will work for him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 I did forget to ask---are his charter classes each every day? Is he on a semester block schedule or a year-long schedule? That will make a difference. If he's on a block schedule such that he has to finish a full credit in the one semester for all his classes, the workload may be such that he needs the extra time to complete assignments. All the local high schools here use a semester block schedule, with 3-4 classes per semester. Is there a lot of outside of class work needed for the program at the vo-tech school? Are the history and lit classes regular, honors, or AP, and does he know if they will have a heavy reading/writing schedule? Is he new to the vo-tech program or does he have a handle on how that will work for him? These are all very good questions. He is new to the vo tech program....only 2 weeks in. However the teacher says there will,be no homework or outside classroom work Except for some field trips which will take place during class time. His history and Lit classes are regular although the curriculum in general is rigorous. I intentionally did not sign him up for honors because of vo tech....I figured the math he is taking along with the vo tech would be plenty of challenge. His math is difficult....he is already having to think about the work instead of mindlessly turning in assignments like he normally is two weeks in. I did talk to his math teacher before I signed him up ....she was also his algebra two and geometry teacher, so this is his third straight year with her. She is confident that he can do the class although it is a difficult course. The way his high school courses are set up is that they have daily assignments but nothing is late until each Sunday at midnight. Even then they are given a lot of grace up until checkpoints that happen a couple of times per semester. The job will have some flexibility too. It is my boss and he has been super flexible with me.....but I keep things done that are important to him. Ds has worked sporadically for him already over the course of two years, so he knows my son knows how to work. I know my boss would let him off during times of testing and preparing for ACT ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 He is going to do it. Starting today. I just this second realized he has a volunteer obligation on Thursdays at 4:00 that he won't be able to do any more. It was only going to be through October but I know he will be upset about that when he realizes it. IT is really hard watching them grow up and deal with stuff. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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