Parents and guardians, stop and look at your watch if you have one. Do you notice anything peculiar about the hands? While the school bell is slated to toll at 7:30am, your watch says there is 15 minutes left of your child’s high school graduation. As you snap back to reality, you realize that it is 8:00am and your child is set to begin their final year of high school – senior year. Roughly 16 years ago, you were waving goodbye to your child, and subsequently peeking through the window of their classroom, as they embarked on the first day of Pre-K. Now, it appears that past feelings of anticipation and excitement have resurfaced as you help your child navigate the complexities of senior year.
One of the cliché, yet definitive and tried-and-true, components of senior year is the development of senioritis. As defined by Merriam-Webster seniorities is the “ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.” Thus, as a senior’s motivation gradually wanes, it will be paramount that their parent or guardian provides the necessary energy to complete pressing tasks. Such tasks will include completing college applications, coursework, extracurricular activities, final exams, and more. Moreover, with every ball being juggled in the air, and every task successfully crossed off “To-Do” lists, I urge families to prioritize time to a final task: honing financial literacy skills. Prioritizing this time can occur during either the fall or spring semesters, or during the first, second, and third trimesters (depending upon the school Academic Calendar). Once you and your teenager have solidified dates and times, begin preparing your lesson plan. One of many pertinent topics of conversation can include the costs of college and standardized testing applications. It is widely-known that college application and exam costs are high, with fee waivers not often presented as alternative methods of payment. As a result, if your teen has not adequately saved a portion of their summer employment earnings (if they were fortunate to secure employment), then you, the parent or guardian, may incur the costs. Therefore, to avoid frantically footing the bill, ensure that you and your teen thoroughly research the various college application costs, as well as standardized testing deadlines and fees. Another topic of importance to discuss is paying for senior dues. Senior dues are comprised of prom, senior trip, yearbook, and other miscellaneous fees with ironclad due dates (final payments are often made in the spring). As such, stress to your child the importance of early-action discussions that are transparent, so as to equally avoid wildly writing last-minute checks that will be sure to bounce! In the end, your notes should consist of a bevy of topics, including methods of payments for these costs. One method of payment to re-explore is employment, after-school employment to be exact. With all student employment, though, it is important that potential employers allow for maximum flexibility; employers should always have your child’s academic and social interests at the core (especially if they are committed to extracurricular activities). Moreover, if your teen previously held a summer position that was not outdoors (amusement park, summer camp, or water park for these will be closed for the season), making a possible return should be explored. Thus, if your teen’s demeanor was exceptionally pleasant, performance evaluations were solid, and their work ethic was exemplary, send an email to inquire. Conversely, if your teen did not participate in summer employment, let the investigations begin. When job hunting, pay close attention to frequent “Help Wanted” postings, as well as referrals from family and friends. While it is no secret that job hunting is exhaustive, utilizing technology can simplify the process. As such, employing search engines such as www.indeed.com, www.idealist.com, www.linkedin.com, and www.monster.com provide job seekers with a plethora of employment options that can be narrowed down to best fit needs. Next, be sure to have your child research industries and positions that are of high interest. For example: if your child is an animal enthusiast, research paid employment at veterinary offices or opportunities to become a dogwalker (should your teenager be physically able to complete such a task). Exploring “dog walking” further, one should remember to be realistic when setting hourly rates. For example: depending on your geographic location, the length of blocks and sidewalks will vary. Thus, for medium walks, set the rate between $20-$30/hour. For hour-long walks, set the rate between $50-$60/hour. Another after school employment opportunity is centered around tutoring. With the domestic and global academic stakes higher than ever, it is imperative that North American high school students excel. Therefore, if your teenager’s mastery of core subjects is exceptional, and they possess interpersonal skills, explore open tutoring positions. Tutoring positions can include but are not limited to assisting elementary school students, preparing middle school students for approaching state exams, or helping fellow high school peers grasp Geometry. For prospective tutors in New York City, contact Huntington Learning Center, Kumon, and The Sylvan Learning Center to inquire about hours and pay rate. Moreover, private tutoring enables your teen to not only set up their own work schedules and pay rate but helps to develop self-sufficiency skills. Additionally, through frequent positive word-of-mouth referrals, a steady clientele can be developed. With a bevy of option to explore, it is now time for your teenager to create, or polish, their résumés. An essential document tied to the job application process, your teen’s résumé should detail their education, employment experiences, extracurricular activities, and skills. While your teenager may not hold an extensive work history, their academic honors, leadership initiatives, summer employment or volunteer opportunities will suffice. Furthermore, as your teenager progresses throughout the job application process, it is imperative that comprehension levels of how to both dress for success and successfully interview be up-to-par. The goal is to yield positive results. Thus, as a result of much preparation, your teenager should have aced their interviews and have subsequently commenced their after-school employment. Now, the next phase on the road to adulthood is accumulating earnings. So, as your teen begins to bring home a steady paycheck, encourage them to pay for expenses. In addition to paying for senior dues and expenses, also encourage your teen to save. Even if your teen fails to remember the fundamentals of saving, and as a result proposes that you help pick up their financial slack, resist feeling disappointment. On the road to budding fiscal independence, it is often common for adolescents, and adults, to fall short on executing goals. Therefore, if your teenager seeks your assistance and guidance in staying on track, provide the best emotional and financial support possible. Helping your teenager manage their part-time income is a component of our overall mission: developing solid financial literacy skills. Moreover, because your teen is in the midst of their final year of high school, they will be enrolled in a semester-long Government and Economics course, with the latter being dedicated to financial literacy. Thus, as senior year progresses, and approaches its eventual end, lesson plans should include practical and realistic solutions to not only paying for prom, the senior trip, and yearbook, but life after high school. Additionally, lesson plans should mirror your child’s current financial life – one that includes earning minimum wage. As a result of your teen living paycheck-to-paycheck due in part to earning minimum wage, being proactive about finally honing comparative shopping and goal-setting skills during their final year and beyond will be crucial. Likewise, because every teenager and their cognitive capabilities are unique, the rate at which concepts will be comprehended will vary. Nevertheless, the tools being taught should be clear and concise enough to grasp. Finally, lesson plans should seek to motivate your teen into researching additional fiscal applications and tools. Remember, the multitude of goals to be achieved is to not only have your teen properly define money, and its variety of functions, but to develop an encompassing relationship with money, too. Knowledge of financial literacy serves as a core foundation for the development, and application, of positive fiscal behaviors. Ultimately, these positive habits lead to financial success.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
WhitneyEducation enthusiast whose mission it is to see Financial Literacy receive well-deserved shine. Archives
September 2020
Categories |