For a long time, scientists have said that teenagers should not start school before 8 in the morning. They said it is bad for teens’ health and their grades. More schools around the country are starting to listen. Some of those schools are in Seattle. They will start school at 8:45 in the morning.

Last year, a big group of doctors which is made up of pediatricians (儿科医师) said starting later is a good idea. They said it can improve students’ lives in many ways. Teenagers often fall asleep later than their parents would like. Scientists say that if they start school later, they will get more sleep. They may also do better in school and feel better. “We’re going to look back on this time period and wonder why it took so long,” said Phyllis Payne who works with a group called Start School Later.

Some schools in St Paul cannot change start times because they do not have enough money. If they did, the city would have to provide more buses and drivers. This would cost millions of dollars. In Seattle, school leaders decided to let teenagers start school later. At first, they also said younger kids had to start earlier. Neither the parents of younger kids nor those of older kids like that school would start later. They were afraid this would get in the way of after-school activities. Seattle finally carried out a plan to start time later for teens. It happened because school leaders listened to what parents had to say. The final plan was more expensive but also more popular, said Cindy Jatul.

In the city of Chicago, the school district tried to make start times later for teens. The plan failed because school leaders did not listen to parents. “It backfired (事与愿违) terribly,” Jatul said. Seattle was more successful because the city listened to parents.

Bridget Shelton is a freshman at Seattle’s Roosevelt High School. She thinks the change in start times will help her get more sleep. Katie Benmar is a sophomore (二年级学生). She is not happy about the later start time. She thinks her life will just move around.

Every child has a hobby. Some parents may ask their children to give up their hobbies. They think that these hobbies are bad for their children’s study. 【小题1】 They should encourage (鼓励) their children. If they let their kids do what they’re fond of, great things may happen. That’s what Joe’s parents think.

Joe was interested in drawing when he was very little. 【小题2】 His parents were glad that he had such a hobby. They let him have some art classes. 【小题3】 He even had a chance to decorate the dining room of a famous restaurant in the UK.

【小题4】 According to Joe’s dad Greg, his son always has great interest in art. He found Joe’s gift for drawing when he was 4. Greg shared some of his son’s pictures on the Internet. 【小题5】 He said, “I would advise parents to let children do what they like. Give help to your children when they follow their hobbies and dreams.”

If you live in the United States, the law says you can’t have a full-time job until you are 16 years old. At 14 or 15, you can work part-time after school or on weekends, and during summer you can work 40 hours each week. Does all that mean that if you are younger than 14, you can’t earn（赚）your own money? Of course not! Kids who are between the ages of 10 and 13 can earn money by doing lots of things.

Valerie, 11, told us that she made money by cleaning up other people’s yards. Lena, 13, makes money by knitting （织） dog sweaters and selling them to her neighbors, and Reisa said she had started taking art classes and showing her work to people. People have asked her to draw pictures for them and they pay her for them. Jasmine, 13, writes articles for different magazines!

Earning is learning. By working to earn your own money, you are learning the skills you will need to succeed in life. These skills can include things like getting along with others, using technology （技术） and using your time. Some people think that asking for money is a lot easier than earning it; however, when you make your own money, you don’t have to depend on someone else. The five dollars that you earn will probably make you feel a lot better in your hand than the twenty dollars you ask for.