Do High School Students Work Too Much?

Do high school students work too much? Recent studies show that teenagers are working more than they should. When they were questioned as to why they work so much some students replied with "I need the money". What I really think they mean when they say that is that they excessive wants. Very few of those working students actually have to work. A low percentage of the students interviewed said that they had to work to help their families survive. Most students are working to purchase more clothes or shoes and this is wrong. Their grades should not suffer for a new pair of Nikes.

This in itself is not the problem. But when students are overworking their bodies, their minds tend to fall behind. Many students who work 20 to 30 hours a week while attending high school have a dramatic decline in performance. Their sagging eyelids have a direct affect on their equally drooping grades.

Some students have to juggle between school, work, and even sports. Juggling this many activities is sure to case anyone stress, no matter how old they are. It's hard enough to find time to sleep let alone homework. Homework is often the last thing on a working students mind. If they have a little extra time it's most likely going to be spent sleeping, even if that means during school hours. If students are sleeping at school then they are only setting themselves up for failure. Sleeping during class is definitely not teaching students responsibility. They aren't getting the education they need to move them up in the workplace or the grades to get them in college. They may be making money now, but when they really need it they won't have the education to get them a better job. Also, teachers aren't getting paid to preach to the unconscious.

On a positive note, it has been proven that students who work anywhere from 1 to 10 hours a week actually do better in school. I think that it teaches them responsibility and helps them to manage their time. This is an argument that most parents make for their children. On the other hand many parents of working teens are regretting their influence in forcing their children to grow up too fast. They are often found complaining that they don't see enough of their children because they are too busy.

The final summation is that students are just growing up too fast. What they should be doing is enjoying a stress free youthful life while it's right in front of them. Because when they actually do grow up and have to face the real world they are going to find out that they worked away the best years of their lives and now they can't get them back.