School is a Full-Time Job

When you ask parents what their memories are of high school, they are often quick to remember high school dances, awards they won for outstanding achievements, or simply the fun of being a ‘care-free’ teenager in a whirl of extra curricular activities.

Rarely do parents remember the sinking feeling of walking into class on a test day, or the late night frenzy that came before a big assignment that had been postponed too long.

It’s important for both parents and high school students who are bound for college to recognize that school is a full time job.

Imagine that you’ve just been hired for the following job – you’ll spend long periods of time sitting in a stationary position, absorbing information, and then demonstrating knowledge by performing a series of writing exercises and projects. You’ll be critiqued and judged continuously by a whole team of bosses, and have little-to-no say in due dates and project timelines for your work. You’ll be randomly assigned extra work to take home, and often expected to work with partners that can’t or won’t carry their weight.

Most people would look at this description and think “What a terrible job!”

Parents and students both need to shift their thinking from “school is just a fact of life” to “school is a full-time job.” That job is learning, and the work is demonstrating knowledge. Students are paid for their work with grades. The better the work, the better the grades.

If you or your high school student is struggling with viewing work as a full time job, download our FREE article on Time Management for College Bound Students, available here.