Recession's High Schoolers Scale Back Life Goals

(CBS)  World leaders started gathering in Toronto Thursday for the G-20 summit. It opens Friday, and one of the key topics will be how to keep the world from slipping back into a recession.

For some Americans, the recession never really ended, and it's still hitting children especially hard, CBS News Correspondent Seth Doane reports.

Last year, CBS News saw how schools were providing a lot more than just an education. Even as teachers are being laid off or furloughed, schools are still filling a gap.

Principal Hook still welcomes his students every morning but not the changes at Montclair High School. The news that the recession has come to an end doesn't translate to what he sees.

"That's what I read in the paper, but here in the school it doesn't seem that way," Hook said.

Budget cuts have almost doubled the size of a freshman-year English class in southern California from 20 students last year to 36 next year.

A year ago, CBS News interviewed two students reeling from the recession.

"What the recession means to me is not being able to afford the things they really need," Kristen Beltran said in 2009.

Her dad, a welder, had lost work.

Today they're still five months behind on the mortgage although business is starting to pick up.

"There's still that stress every now and then, but now it's just like, OK, we've been through this before," Beltran said. "We can make it through."

She says dealing with so much has made her stronger, an outcome her former classmate Faith Herrera wouldn't have anticipated after her dad lost his job.

"What the recession means to me is losing my dream house," Herrera said in May 2009.

One year later, she's happy with her home. She focused on school while her parents got back on their feet.

"I'm going to college," said Herrera. "My mom and dad are getting some work now than before, and I feel comfortable here, my new home."

She's comfortable but hardly complacent.

"Each day you're, like, thinking, is this going to happen again? Is the recession going to come back? Is it going to get worse?" said Herrera. "So I think, yeah, it kind of sticks with you."

In fact, in a CBS News poll, more than two-thirds of parents said the recession had affected plans for their children's futures.

"I wanted to be a dentist, but I kind of saw how bad it was going to cost my family and me," Herrera said.

Now she's studying to be a dental hygienist at a community college. Beltran got a similar recession reality check.

"Originally I wanted to be an obstetrician," she said.

Instead, she'll study to be an ultrasound technician.

While both families are now in better shape, Beltran's mom might've said it best: "there's a light at the end of the tunnel... we just don't know how far off it is".

[justme2012]

The answer is obvious, let's borrow more money from China and make these kids pay it back!

[James93x]

Seth Doane's idiotic comments shill for Barack's attempts to reduce Pell grants to college students.

[crazyname]

I would think this would have a great effect on young people and Obama. The democratic savior failed, and on top fo that has killed the US job market with his passed bills and his future bills. Kids love MTV is but it doesn't pay the bills, nor does anything Obama has come up with yet. Millions graduate form college each semester. They can than Barry for their the jobs they didn't get. For 2 years now the dems have not listened to anybody but their own wallets.

[babooph]

The rich give us jobs-no education needed to cut grass,guard a gate,clean a pool,wash a car ,or be a maid,the kids are young,not dumb-they can see the world their parents left them...

[justme2012]

They also see the debt, I hope. Because it is their job to pay it back.

[lsteingold1]

This a joke right. Stop the whiningh. My father born in 1923, and opthers and people going back forever hasd to deal with a bit of adversity. Instant gratification is over. Deal with it. Tell your kids, to get a job part time, or start a business, mow grass, what ever. But stop whining. Re calibrate your expenses, give up stuff, learn to sew, whatever. If they cant handle this, this wont be able to handle anything. this is not a big deal is it difficult yes, but so what.

[tsigili]

All of our youth will have to scale back their life goals. The US will cease to be a world power.

[sean1z]

Students do not need to drop-out of colleges and universities. Scholarships, loans, and grants are available for affordable schools like community colleges. State Universities accept those credits and offer bachelor degrees.

[euge005]

Cannot be helped in a country so stupid as to allow Dick Chaney and his puppet to buy the White House in 2000. They will work until the day they fall over dead. Thank you GOP.

[FlyoverLiberal]

Awesome news - the hopes and dreams of the young are being crushed all so that the likes of David Koch and his brother can roll around in rooms full of money while the effects of their atrocious decisionmaking for society get magnified on an exponential basis.

I guess they'll spend enough money so that there could be some cops and soldiers to try and save their hides from rampaging mobs of poorly educated but bright people.

[euge005]

And I had to hold my nose to vote for the better man. Wish Oama would be a real democrat and support the American workers. Identify, capture and expel those criminals.

[magnumdr]

With all of the illegal immigrants coming here and working for little or nothing, soon a person will have to have a collage degree just to get an average paying job. It's all about greed people!

[presjfk]

More important than the degree, the type of degree. A business degree in marketing or management is nearly useless in this market. A law degree, forget it. Better to go for accounting, teaching or nursing.

[chattyone09]

Not to mention they are attending our colleges while cashing in on the scholarships!