The Effect of Working on Teenagers' Homework & Grades
While your working teenager is learning many things, hopefully acquiring important skills that will benefit her throughout life, she might be tempted to work too many hours or prioritize work over all else. Having a job might cause her to overlook important homework assignments or put off studying for a critical test. However, her job experiences might help her learn to schedule time for adequate rest, study time, social experiences and work.
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Potentially Negative Effects
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Your teen's grades might suffer as she adjusts to work, especially if she lacks time management skills. If she is like many people her age, her job is likely not very glamorous. A stressful work environment might cause her grades to suffer, particularly if she works more than 20 hours per week, specialist Mary Huser and professor Stephen Small state in a University of Wisconsin publication on "Teens and Employment." Working might reduce her opportunities to pursue tutoring or academic help if need be, as Dr. Jeylan T. Mortimer shares in a piece published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information̵7;s website. Enthusiasm for earning money might reduce her motivation for school, particularly if she assumes that she could live comfortably on what she would earn if she worked more hours.
Academic Benefits
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As long as she is not working too many hours each week, a part-time job might be just what she needs to improve her study habits. She might learn skills that benefit her academically and professionally. Even something as simple as learning to give change might help her brush up on basic math skills that will help her in her more advanced classes. As your teen starts college, a part-time job on campus can help her get to know university staff and inspire her studies, according to a paper on the benefits of student employment from the University of California at San Diego.
Other Benefits
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Her job will help her learn to take instruction from a variety of people. The work she does might inspire her to explore a career field she otherwise would not have considered, as the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston offers in "Teens in the Workforce," an online report. This might help her respect her teachers more and appreciate what they are trying to teach in the classroom. A job will also help her learn to multi-task and prioritize. It might help her realize that there is more to life than high school. Her motivation to better herself might help improve her homework scores and overall grades.
Finding a Balance
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Your teen̵7;s part-time job can be very beneficial, as long as she uses her new-found job skills to improve educationally and balances it all with family activities, socialization and study time. Your influence can help her have a positive school and work experience. You should make sure her job allows for sufficient break times and flexible scheduling so she has time for school, as stated in "Teen Talk," a resource from the University of Minnesota Extension. You might encourage her to find a job in an industry she might want to work in later in life and help her create a daily schedule that includes homework and studying. Above all, emphasize that school must come first.
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There are a variety of full-time jobs available for teens, although certain age restrictions have been set in place by the U.S. Department of Labor. By law, students between the ages of 14 and 15 can not work more than 18 hours a week while school is
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