If my Grades Slip, I'll Quit the Job by Dr. Robert Wallace on Creators.com

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If my Grades Slip, I'll Quit the Job

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and, like most teens, I'm short of cash. My parents do provide me with an allowance, but that hardly meets my financial needs. I have an opportunity to get a part-time job taking care of two children, ages 3 and 5, three days a week from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The lady that had the job, who was my Sunday school teacher, is moving away and she recommended me.

My parents are not so sure that they want me to take the job because I'm an honor student; they feel the job might interfere with my studies. I told them that if my grades started to slip even slightly, I would quit. Do you think this is fair? My parents asked that I write for your opinion. — Nameless, Birmingham, Ala.

NAMELESS: I think you should be allowed to take the job with the rules you have set for yourself. I would add that you should also tell all your teachers about your job and ask them to let you know if they think it's hurting your class work. Good students who work part time usually arrange their study schedules to take advantage of free time. It's more important to get good grades than it is to earn spending money, but many students are successful at doing both at the same time.

According to Junior Achievement, 52 percent of high-school students are employed at some time during the school year. A part-time job does more than provide spending money. It instills such valuable attributes as punctuality, trustworthiness and a sense of responsibility.

ARE MALES SMARTER THAN FEMALES?

DR.

WALLACE: My brother is a know-it-all. No matter what I say, he has to correct me. When he's not doing so, he's filling me and my parents with "information" that will make us more knowledgeable. I'm 15, and he is in his first year at the University of Pennsylvania. He plans to be a doctor and always lets me know how smart he is. I do like my brother, but I must admit I enjoy having him out of the house.

During the Christmas break, we got into an argument about female versus male intelligence. He says males are more intelligent because they are "blessed" with larger brains. Is this true? I don't think it is true because in most of my classes, girls outshine boys and get better grades. Any help on the subject will be appreciated. — Nameless, York, Pa.

NAMELESS: When your brother takes a few more classes, he'll learn that while males have larger brains than females, the two sexes, on average, have equal intelligence. Brain size obviously isn't everything. Whales and elephants have larger brains than your brother does, and all other humans as well. These are intelligent mammals, but they wouldn't make it in med school!

And just think how intelligent fish are. They travel in schools!

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.