By Alexis Steagall, News Editor
Many Indian Trail High School & Academy students balance the workload of school along with weight of a job.
For some, employment means extra spending money, but for others, their paychecks are essential to keeping a family afloat.
As of 2017, roughly 20 percent of students enrolled in high school were employed with a part-time job. Many of these jobs only paid teens minimum wage. In Wisconsin, that stands at $7.25 per hour.
Some families cannot support themselves solely relying on parental income. Whether the family is sup- ported by a single parent, or two, current wages for Kenosha’s working poor don’t allow families to cover all expenses, especially with health care and housing costs on the rise. To help with the struggle of basic survival, some students and themselves in a position where they need to contribute to their family financially by supporting them with their job.
“At first I got a job because I just wanted money and didn’t want to keep asking my parents, but then I saw my parents were struggling so started helping around the house and like I said, paid some bills,” says Yarian-delis Rivera, a Kenosha Military Academy senior at IT.
Another issue that occurs within local families is finding enough money to support large families. Although some teens save up for college, cars, or moving out, other students sacrifice their paychecks to feed their families.
“At first I volunteered because we weren’t going to eat. My sister needed to pay for college and my parents helped her out. After that I felt like I needed to because we wouldn’t be able to have food on our table,” said a 17-year-old General Studies senior who requested anonymity to keep her family situation private.
She has contributed to her family income for more than a year and finds herself responsible for five siblings in her household, often sacrificing sleep, grades, social life, and time to work in order to feed her family.
Full-time students spend 37.5 of 168 hours a week sitting in a desk at school. A part-time job can range anywhere from one to 30 hours per week. The excessive workload, stress, and concern for family circumstances can contribute to mental health issues and and lack of self care, teens said.
“I don’t really get enough sleep. I work long hours. I do get days off, but most of the time on my days I’m doing homework and extra activities at school,” says Rivera.
Some students don’t find themselves in a position where their family relies on them to keep a stable financial state, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a problem that goes unnoticed within the schools.
Rivera says that talking out her problems with close friends and finding an escape in music helped her through the tough times.
Finding time to destress is a must. The struggle of supporting a family can bring a person down, she said. It is important for teens to take time for themselves to relax and recover from hard work. Whether it be working out, taking a bath, reading a book, or simply just sleeping, teens need to find healthy ways to cope