Teens Balance Work
Directions
For this assignment, we will read the article that we started last week. When we are done, we will answer a few questions about this article and post our answers to the discussion board. Then, we will interact with our classmates by replying to their answers. Let’s start by looking at the text.
The questions
Answer the following questions about the reading:
- Read paragraph 3. What does this tell us about the audience of this text?
- What is Newsela? What does this tell us about genre?
- Read the section ‘A Chance to Learn about Money.’ What is something we learn from this section?
- Read paragraphs 15 and 16. What is important about this information?
- Read paragraph 17. Imagine you have a boss that does not care that you are in school. How will that make this class harder?
Turning this in
Your job is to post your answers to these five questions on the discussion board. Each question should have about 15-20 words for an answer. That means that this post should be 75-100 words. Please number your answers and turn them.
Should You Get a Job? Teens Balance Work, School and LifeNewsela 01/08/20191. Teenagers can take jobs at grocery stores and restaurants. Whatever the job is, it can provide him or her with a sense of independenceor freedom. It also brings extra money to spend on things like fast food and cool sneakers.2. However, finding and keeping a job can also teach teens skills1. Working can help them developgood work habitsearly in life.3. Having a part–time job during high school might sound great. However, parents of teens need to weigh the benefitsagainst possible problems to see whether working is a good choice. Drawbackscan includetime away from schoolwork and school activities.Parents should also set rules so teens stay focused on their studies.A Chance To Learn About Money4.Working as a teenager has the obvious2benefit of earning money to spend and save. However, working also allows teens to appreciate the value of money.5. “Working teens learn an important money lesson about how much people earn”, says Nashica McRath. She is a money adviser with Edward Jones, at an investment company. “Paying taxes and other experiences are lessons in becoming an adult”, she says.6. Whether high school students go to college or start working full time, having a job in school can preparethem. It gives them the chance to plan and managemoney.7. “Work lets teens learn time managementand job skills that can help them when they go to college”, says Brenda M. Brown. She works for College Aid Services. “Jobs also can help with skillsafter college”, she says.8. Ciara Smalls Glover is a professor at Georgia State University. She says teens with jobs might find new interests and talents. Their work might lead to a career.9. “Teens are expectedto make decisionsabout their future careers in college”, she says. It can be a scary task, she says. Overall, work or volunteer(helper)experiences can provide opportunitiesfor students to better understand themselves.Managing Time10. “Having a job in high school means time away from studies and school activities. If a teen doesn’t put important things first, something will suffer”, McRath says.1to be able to do something well; expert, really good at something2clear; understandable
11. Holding all of thattogether could become overwhelming. Sports and other activities offerlife lessons and experiences for young students, so those need attention. Simply spending time with friends is valuable.12. “Too many work hours can decreasea teen’s energy and attention to schoolwork”, Glover says. “Thatis important for more than grades and graduation”, she says.13. National and state laws affect work hours. Teens 14 and 15 years old can work a maximum of 18 hours during a school week, says the U.S. Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act.They can work three hours each school day.The act does not limit hours for teens 16 years old and older.14. In Georgia, for example, teens who are 16 or 17 years old have no work–hour limits. However, California labor laws limit hours for those teens. On school breaks, the limits are often ignored. Teens can end up with little time to rest.Child labor laws are different in each state.Teens Earn Less Than Adults15. Laws allow for lower pay for teens.Employers often get around child labor and pay laws, says Marni Lennon. She is a lawyer and leader of HOPE Public Interest Resource Center at the University of Miami School of Law in Florida.Lennonsays some practicesare likely breaking state laws. One example islong shifts without breaks.16. Brown says that work experience has value beyond just earning money.A Good Boss17. A good boss is important to a teen’s success at work. If the boss is willing to put a student’s schooling first, that can help, McRath says. However, it’s also up to teenagers to talk to their bosses. They should be responsible. For example, if they need time off to study,they need to get someone to cover their work.18. Parents also should help their teens. Getting teensin the habit of saving money can help them for a lifetime.
