If You Become a Child Actor, You Must Keep Up with Schoolwork, Image via Wikipedia
When you become a child actor, one of the hardest things to do is keep up with your schoolwork. If you (or your child) wants to become a child actor, you need to continuously train in acting and other related activities such as dancing and voice.
Often, there seems to be little time left for doing schoolwork.
When my daughter was young, missing a little school to go to auditions or coaching was seldom a big deal. Some teachers were more understanding than others. But still, making up the work was not much of a challenge, and the teachers/administrators rarely got upset about it.
But as my daughter has gotten older, it has become more difficult for her to miss class without sacrificing her grades and the respect of her teachers. The teachers and administrators are less tolerant. They even make it more difficult to get work permit applications signed, even for children who are good students.
Also, the amount of homework assigned has increased significantly, making it more difficult to go to auditions.
My daughter is a good student, and she chooses schoolwork over acting on a regular basis. She is still involved in acting, but when she has to sacrifice one or the other, it is most often her acting career that takes a back seat to her academics. However, she does honor any commitments she makes related to her acting, music, and other activities.
As a parent, I am proud of her for this. How she does in school is likely to affect her for the rest of her life. And if she chooses not to continue acting as an adult, I want her to have other good options. I want her to be able to get into a good university. I also believe that following through with the commitments you make is important in becoming a responsible person.
We know many other young actors who have chosen to become homeschoolers or enroll in schools other than regular public schools in order to more easily pursue their show business careers. This is a choice that parents and children will have to make together based on what works best for them and what best matches their goals and dreams in life.
This schoolwork vs. acting issue is a dilemma that every child (and the parents) face when considering what it takes to become a child actor.
So, “When You Become a Child Actor, How Do You Keep Up With Schoolwork?”
