photo by: Contributed
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Some parents like to say, “School is my kids’ job.” School is important, sure, but I preferred work to school as a teen. It gave me access to a seemingly adult world where I could learn job skills, hone communication skills and build confidence in my abilities.
I’m not cut out for the classroom. I’m more of a learn-by-doing person. This made living according to grades hard. It felt as if my self-worth was tied to metrics. In the workplace, I could quantify my worth in different ways and lean into my strengths.
I grew up on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River where the Cincinnati skyline was always a sight to behold. At 15, I got a job at Riverfront Stadium. After school, I’d ride the public TANK bus from school to the Cincinnati terminal downtown and then walk to the stadium where I’d make nachos and chili dogs, working in concessions. I watched the Reds and Bengals play. I saw Paul McCartney, The Beach Boys and New Kids on the Block in concert. All while serving nachos from a concessions stand. I worked there until I graduated high school in 1993. If you know your sports, then you know how cool that was. As a teenager, I got to work the 1990 World Series games.
I failed algebra in high school time and time again. Meanwhile at work, I excelled. I kept a balanced cash drawer. No credit card or computing machines in my day. Just a wooden drawer for cash and the ability to do the math in my head. I managed the inventory of cups and trays and reported out at the end of each night.
My best friend and I ran a concession stand together and were awarded many times for balancing the drawer to the penny — coming up even at the end of every night. Had it not been for that experience on the job, I would have let my inability to grasp algebra tell me that I wasn’t good at math. No, I just wasn’t good at algebra. Give me a spreadsheet and show me accounting and I could manage a budget.
Kids need to work out in the community. They need to discover their capabilities outside of a classroom setting. Understanding that I learned better through experience is why I sought mentorships and apprenticeships for the things that interested me. I’ve tried a lot of different positions knowing I was capable, knowing that I could lean into my communications skills to learn what I needed.
My kids weren’t required to have a paying job, but they did have to at least volunteer. Volunteering can give kids the benefits of working a job without the pressure of maintaining a work schedule on top of their school responsibilities.
Yes, school should come first. But on this Labor Day, I’m grateful for what I learned on the job as a young person. Mainly that I had something to offer in my community and that I was worth more than the letter grade on my report card.
— Bonnie Jean Feldkamp is a syndicated columnist with Creators.
