By Cyndy Slovak-Barton
Hundreds and hundreds of students from Hays CISD will walk the stage this week, as the three high schools, Hays, Lehman and Live Oak, say goodbye to their seniors
It’s an emotional night for parents, as many face the fact that their children are becoming adults. Some of these will head on to college, while others make the jump immediately into the working world.
But parents have many other worries these days.
First, they worry about their children being out on graduation night, partying a little too much. For the hundreds of students at the Project Graduation parties, at least their parents know they will be in a safe environment.
For those not attending Project Graduation, and not staying at home with parents and grandparents, the possibility of a death within the group is very real.
A harsh cartoon with a graduation party crasher – the skeleton of death – is accurate for many communities across the nation.
We don’t want it to be a regular visitor here. Thank you, Project Graduation parents, for keeping some of the students safe this year.
Other worries for parents includes paying for college.
At some point, state legislators will have to face facts that middle class parents cannot foot the entire bill for college.
But students going off to college should not expect their parents to pay for everything. Want to party through your college years? Think again.
One good way for parents to squash the party idea is to only pay for college for one or two years, weaning students off their junior year and allowing students to take out loans their senior year(s).
It is important for students to understand that they have a responsibility for their own education. Taking out loans and working at least a few hours a week forces students to allocate their free time better, and prepares them for their future – in the workforce.
Paying back student loans over the ten years following graduation harkens back to former generations. Students then were happy to have the chance to go to college, and knowing that they would make more money over their lifetime was added incentive to take that leap.
While the job market today might appear a bit stagnant, at least in the Austin area, we are lucky to have one of the lowest job rates in the country.
That means students can get a job. It might not be the exact job they want, but it’s at least easier than during the early 2000s.
So, cheer up parents. Your students are growing up.
And you might just have a bit more time – if not more money – to do something you have always wanted to try.