3.16.2006

The Writing Teacher, The Job




A's English writing teacher is proving to be incredibly accessible. He regularly e-mails Alexander after class to comment on any given paper that he's turned in, and occasionally e-mails A a surprise assignment due the following class. On gauging performance, he is critical without being too harsh, and commends A when he has done well. I guess all the e-mail correspondence is good practice for college. "Staying in communication" and all that.

We still haven't decided what A should do for a job. We initially thought dog-walking would be good, but no, what if some random dog attacks the dog being walked, or the dog being walked suddenly turns on A, that would be too dangerous, we live in a litigious society, yadda yadda yadda.

Then we thought A's knitting skills could be put to good use, and we could sell knitted goods in SoHo or something. It's almost springtime.

I've also thought of making soap, as a similarly-aged teenage friend of A's makes soap and once made $100 in one day selling the home-made bars outside his building in the LES. Chemicals and messes involved with making soap - I'd have to think on that one.

Then there is web design, a skill which A would love to learn, and I am certain he could do well with it, but A has yet to learn web design. Hmph.

He is taking a lot of photographs, and maybe in a year or so we can think about exhibiting his work, and he can set his own prices. I actually like that idea the most. Besides the web design.

Anyone have any job ideas for a young teen?

3 comments:

Andrea R said...

I liek the web design idea, but then again, I would. :) We've also made soap, just the melt n pour stuff though, which in some circles doesn't count.

What about busking? Although I suppose it's different there. Having never been to NYC I suppose there are a lot of people standing on street corners playing music or performing for cash.

Here we have entire festivals. :D

Other than that i dunno. I have one teen working insanely at McD's and the other two trying to figure out how to pull in cash as well. They are leaning towards making things and selling them at the local weekly market. Ten bucks a table.

la Maitresse said...

I remember when a classmate of mine in L.A. lied to get a job at McDonald's. She was 13 but said she was 14, somehow produced a document that stated she was 14, and I'd see her after school with that McDonald's uniform running off to work. She was a professional employee. I was so jealous.

Anonymous said...

A could combine his love of dogs and photography. Do you know how much people pay for pet photography? It's insane. (Ask me how I know.) It's not quite as artistic as landscapes or portraits, but it's a gold mine!

Jill