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Academic Fitness NW

Tutoring in Monroe, Redmond, Duvall and Eastside locations

Tutoring high school, homeschool and community college students in
Kirkland and Sammamish

Marga White

marga@nullacademicfitnessnw.com
(425) 876-2610

Teenagers and part-time jobs during the school year

Having a part-time job can be a very positive experience for teens. For the first time in their lives, they learn the pride in earning a paycheck and enjoy some of the freedoms that come with that. They gain life skill experiences with W-2 and 1040EZ forms, payroll deductions, automatic deposits, as well as what it feels like when they see their bank account grow if they’re careful, or watch it decline if they’re not.

Today, colleges care less about perfect GPAs and more about the well-roundedness of the applicant, as evidenced by extracurricular activities such as sports, volunteer work, and part-time employment. They see part-time jobs as an indicator of a student’s reliability, maturity and independence. The ability to hold a part-time job and maintain a high GPA in high school is a good predictor of success as a college student.

That being said, there are some potential pitfalls for you to help your teen avoid:

  1. Having their supervisor give them a work schedule that conflicts with the days and times they said they were available on their application.

Keep in mind that the supervisors in many of these jobs (such as fast food or grocery chains) are not much older than your teen and often don’t possess strong management skills. No 16-18 year old wants to start off a new job by having to confront their boss about their work schedule. The best thing you can do as a parent is help steer them to local businesses that appear to be well managed and have happy employees. If scheduling problems still occur, coach your teen on how to raise the issue with their boss, but don’t go in and talk to the supervisor yourself! Learning to negotiate for themselves in a respectful manner is a great life skill.

  1. Seeing a significant decline in their grades, or loss of interest in school, after taking a part-time job.

Before your teen starts a new job I recommend that you clarify that school comes first. For example, you could decide on a grade level they need to maintain in order to keep the job, and be seriously ready to make that tough decision if it comes to it. Today most high schools have all the assignments and grades posted on each teacher’s website, so it’s easy for parents to monitor their grades. If your teen is college bound, a good way to make them see this job as a stepping stone to college (and not an alternative to it) is to have them put a certain percentage of each paycheck into their own college fund. Being able to see that money grow and know they helped the family by contributing to their education is a great self-esteem builder! 🤓

Photo Credit: Photo by Wonderlane

September 23, 2016 By Marga White | Filed Under: Jobs

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"Ms. White!"
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for working with our daughter. When we began working with you our daughter's ACT score wasn't quite high enough to get into her top choice school. When she just recently took the ACT again after working with you her score improved by 6 points, and made it possible for her to apply with confidence to her top choice school! Your work with specific topics and addressing strategies for success HUGELY paid off for our daughter. I truly believe the one-on-one time with you made all the difference. I also appreciated your weekly summaries you sent to me as well so I knew what you had worked on and what her tasks were until your next meeting. (We all know how teenagers can be with communication to their parents!)
Stacey Cinderella
Sammamish
My daughter loves having Marga as a tutor and looks forward to her session every week. She can't wait to tell me how awesome it is after each visit, including excitement for what they are working on learning. I couldn't ask for a more positive tutoring experience!
Mary Olson
Snohomish
"Excellent!"
Marga knows the material and she makes good use of time. She also connects with her students and is patient and kind! She is an excellent tutor. I am so glad we found her for SAT prep.
Ann McNeil
Snohomish
Looking for a tutor, look no further! Marga has it all and has been such an amazing asset to our family. She not only provides outstanding tutoring, she connects with kids and parents to find long lasting solutions. She has gone above and beyond my expectations to provide just the kind of help my daughter needs. Thank you Marga!
Mary Sullivan
Sammamish
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What can I say-but Marga has been an amazing asset for our family!!! We started looking for a tutor for our senior, who was struggling with Algebra 2, as we wanted to ensure she graduated on time. We found Marga and our experience has been amazing!! Marga has worked with our daughter for the last several months and with her assistance, my daughter has not only passed her Algebra 2, but has passed with an A. And more importantly, will be graduating on time. Marga exhibits consistency, patience, excellent communication skills, as well as being very personable. She has instilled confidence in my daughter that has not only impacted her math grade, but her other grades as well. My daughter is very proud of her accomplishments, an emotion that she doesn't always feel. Hands down, would recommend Marga to anyone in need of assistance in the math discipline. I can't thank her enough for the work she has done with our daughter.
Natalie D'Angelo
Snohomish, WA
"Knowledgeable and patient tutor"
So thankful to Marga. She found out what my daughter needed and responded with simple to learn methodology with many examples. Now she feels confident and is hungry for more.
John Darvish
Sammamish, WA
"Simply the Best!"
My daughter had many tutors over the last few years and none have even come close to Marga. She knows my child is a visual learner and teaches her in a way my daughter can understand. Her grade significantly improved and I am so grateful to have found Marga! To see the confidence my daughter now has not only in math but in general is amazing.
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Sammamish, WA
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