Lake Cormorant Middle School

‘And I need to
School is your job
Y ou may have heard someone tell you that
“school is your job.” Going to school prepares
know this why?’
I t’s hard to see the effect that education will
have on your future—especially when you
can’t imagine using anything from your classes
again. Schoolwork can become more interesting
if you see a link to the world outside of school.
For example, if you’re taking:
• A government class, sit in on a town
meeting to watch democracy at work. Or
talk to your parents about how they choose a
candidate to support in elections.
• A math class, make a budget for yourself
for one month. Record your spending.
• A foreign language class, rent a movie
in that language and watch it with friends.
See how much you can understand. Maybe
one day you’ll travel to a country where it is

Y
ou’re sitting at your desk,
researching the migratory patterns
of the African swallow for a class
presentation tomorrow. It’s late. You
wouldn’t be able to identify the bird if it flew into
your room. You’re wondering when—
if ever—you’ll need this information again.
You’re not alone! A lot of assignments seem to
have no connection to your future. Many classes
seem to have nothing to do with the “real world.”
It’s not as if a future boss will fire you if you can’t
name the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. (It’s
Harper Lee, if you were wondering.)
But education does affect your future. You’re
learning skills you’ll need in the “real world”—
skills that will help you land a job. And knowing
the impact education has on your future will
make those seemingly useless projects all the
more useful.
you for life in the workplace. Just by going to
school every day, you’re learning to: spoken.
• Take responsibility for your actions. You • A health class, look at the nutritional
information on the packaging of foods
know that you’re responsible for doing your
job—turning in your homework assignments— you eat.
just like you’ll be responsible for doing your
job in the future, whatever it may be.
• Respect authority. You know that you have
to listen to your teachers and your principal,
just like you’ll have to listen to your boss at
your job.
• Get along with others. You might not like
all of the kids in your class, but you still have
to work with them—just like you’ll have to
work with coworkers.
• Organize your time. Now you have to
balance soccer practice, your English paper
and your math homework; later you’ll have to
balance meetings, projects and more.

Electives are also
important!
T ake advantage of electives that your school
may offer. Even these classes can benefit
you in the future. Here’s how:
• Art classes help you develop your
observation skills, which are needed in
science classes—and also detail-oriented
jobs.
• Music classes sharpen your listening
skills, which will help you in all of your
subjects now—and in your job in the
future.
• Theatre classes improve your public
speaking skills, which will benefit you
in class presentations now—and job
interviews and presentations in the future.
• Computer classes keep you up-to-date
with the latest technology, which you’ll
need to know in the work force.
Look for electives that tie in with your career
goals. Take a journalism class if you want to
be a reporter or
sign up for wood
shop if you’d
like to go into
construction.
How school helps you
T he rumors are true: Education does
make a difference! Here’s how:
• By helping you land a job. That
class presentation about birds might
not seem so useful now, but learning
to speak comfortably in front of
groups will come in handy during job
interviews.
• By making you sound brilliant.
Those “boring” term papers build your
vocabulary and organizational skills—
which will help you write a college
entrance essay or a cover letter for a
job application.
• By helping you budget. Even if
math isn’t your thing right now,
making ends meet will be in the
future. Sharp math skills will help
you manage your rent, food and gas
money—pretty important when
you’re living on your own.
Education affects
your wallet
Y ou might not believe that
education affects your
future at all. But that
little piece of paper you
get at the end of high
school is worth some-
thing financially.
Research shows
that after working
45 years:
• A high school
dropout will earn
about $1,100,000.
• A high school graduate will earn about
$1,600,000.
• A college graduate will earn about $2,800,000.
So the bottom line is that education affects, well,
your bottom line.
“The beautiful thing about
learning is that no one can
take it away from you.”
— B.B. King
One of a series of Student Tips®
Stock No. 5020 (English), 6020 (Spanish)
© 2020 The Parent Institute
(800) 756-5525 | www.parent-institute.com