Butterfield, B.D. (1986, December 2). The high cost of the teenage worker. The Boston Globe, p. 47.

OVERVIEW

American teenagers are becoming increasingly preoccupied with entering the labor force. Consequently, a drop in school academic performance has been noticed and has attributed, in part, to the increasing tendency of teenagers being employed. A significant number of teenagers spend at least twenty hours a week working. Recent studies indicate that performance in math, reading, and science decreases significantly with an increase in working hours. Unfortunately, many teenagers do not recognize this as a major problem. One teenager interviewed, working 15 hours a week at McDonald’s, expressed frustration that he could not work more: "If I had my way, I’d be working 40 hours or more every week. I never had too many problems with my grades. And I need the money." Even more disconcerting is that, due to the tight labor market in Massachusetts, employers say that they need changes in child labor laws that would permit students to work longer and later hours.

State officials do not advocate changes, claiming that loosening the laws would have a disastrous effect on education. Many high school age students are being lured into the workforce and away from academics. Educators feel that working infringes upon quality study time, therefore directly affecting academic performance.

A study of over 20,000 11th grade students showed that those working more than 20 hours a week score significantly lower in math, reading, and science than those working few or no hours. In reading alone, these students score nearly 10 percent lower. "If a [high school student] gets a good-paying job, that can lead to disinterest in school; a disinterest in learning to read better, for example," says Education Commissioner Harold Raynolds, Jr. "The question is, have they just cut down on their possibilities for the future." He continued, saying that, in this respect, the lure of good-paying part-time work is "fooling" students. Billerica (Massachusetts) Superintendent Dr. Robert Calabrese says, "The kid is caught in a vicious circle. Many are working entry-level jobs because the pay is good due to the labor shortage. But if they work too much, by the time they get to college the grades aren’t good enough."

The labor industry is not necessarily considerate. Members of the restaurant and food service industry have past lobbied for legislation that would extend the hours 16- and 17-year-olds can work to midnight on school nights. They have not yet obtained their desired results. The impact on education is not the only problem affecting teenagers in the labor force. Injuries to teenagers on the job are common. Labor officials estimate that 17,000 minors in Massachusetts will be hurt at work—most injuries will occur in jobs or working hours prohibited under state or federal law.

Teenagers do not necessarily want school or state officials to regulate how many hours they can work. One 17-year-old stated, "My opinion is that it is not up to the state to decide these things; it is up to the parents." His father monitors his school performance and has told him in the past to cut down on work when his grades have fallen. The student added that he is not going to college, will be graduating in the spring, and is looking for full-time work. Important are the "priorities" that this particular teenager has developed while still in school. More than school work, he says, he worries about payments on his Datsun truck, bills on his telephone, and "a lot of other expenses. I need more hours. I can’t get by on 15 hours a week."

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What or who determines whether or not a teenager works?
2. Who or what should determine the influence and importance of work in the life of a teenager?
3. Should the state legislate laws that prevent (and protect) teenagers from working as much as they desire?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Educators and those concerned with the overall growth, development, and well-being of teenagers are aware of the statistics and implications of teenage employment. Parents and youth leaders must also be aware of this information.
2. Teenagers may sacrifice their long term well-being for the immediate gratification of having money to spend. Many teenagers do save a part of their earnings for the future, but work may be impacting on them in other ways.
3. The consistent message that adults—young and old—receive from society is to buy and spend. Purchasing and consuming have become integral to American life and appear to give value to individuals.
4. It is admirable and consistent with the American ideal of hard work that teenagers develop a solid work ethic, but if this occurs at the expense of education, what are the future implications?
5. Creative programs need development in order to foster both a positive work ethic and a positive outlook toward academics. These two values need to be brought out of conflict and antagonism with one another and into harmony, working to benefit the teenager.

Keith Chrisanthus cCYS