But there’s an underlying ambivalence: we celebrate Labor Day by not working, the Book of Genesis says work is punishment for Adam’s sin, and many of us count the days to the next vacation and see a contented retirement as the only reason for working.
For this weeks blog, think about the differing views on work and it's relationship to a teen's future success.
Argue whether or not teenagers should hold down a job before graduating high school. Draw support from reading, experience or observation. Also, interview someone about their first job and begin your argument by telling us about their experience with work.
Teenagers should have a job while in high school. It teaches responsibility, it's something that you have to do every day. Also, high schools don't teach teenagers anything about the real world. We learn about wars that happened 200 years ago and books that someone wrote 100 years ago. That's good to know and everything but what high school students need to be taught is how to do everyday tasks in the real world. Such as keeping a checkbook, doing your taxes, depositing money into your 401K, and things like that. We learn none of that, at least with a job we can understand part of the real world and what we will have to do in the near future.
ReplyDeleteI'm interviewing myself. I've had a job since I was 12. When I was 12 years old, I started delivering papers. It was not a hard job, but it thought responsibility. A paper route is something that you can't miss no matter what. Monday through Saturday I had to deliver those papers. Many times I had to put something I was doing on hold to go deliver papers. It taught a great deal of responsibility. I had that paper route for four years. I quit that at the end of last school year and got an all day job. every kid should have some type of job during the summer. Having a summer job requires you to actually get out of bed early everyday instead of wasting half the day sleeping. Now I have a job at a local plant everyday after school. Having a job during the school year really teaches me about the real world. I leave my house at 7:30 for school and don't get home until 9:00 every night. It's very beneficial to me to have a job, not just financially, but for my future.
Having a job during high school doesn't only teach me responsibility. It makes you want to go out and get a career not a job. Personally, I think every kid should experience working at a plant, because then they will realize that they Would never be able to do that for a living. I know I wouldn't. So, along with teaching me responsibility, and helping me in my future, having a job has helped me decide what I want and don't want to do for the rest of my life.
Ben,
DeleteI thought your blog was really good. You made excellent points to support your argument. I also thought it was interesting that you chose to interview yourself for the assignment. However, by doing that you developed a strong connection to ethos in your argument.
Ben:
DeleteI think you have a lot of really good points. I especially like how you said it helps you decide what kind of career options you can choose from. That's a great point becuase it can help kids maybe cross things out like it did for you. I think you should have interviewed someone else instead of yourself and then incorporated your personal experience as a side part of your argument. Overall good job making solid points.
Ben,
DeleteI thought you did a great job on your blog. I liked how you talked about your experiences with having a job, it really helped your argument.
Ben,
DeleteYou made some excellent points throughout your blog, especially talking about how getting a job helps us get a sense of the real world and what we will have to do after high school and college. You mentioned how experiencing job opportunities now can help someone decide if they like that job or dislike it so they know what to do when they are older. That is a really valid point. Good work
Ben,
DeleteI like your insight on summer jobs: the fact that they make a teenage worker responsible for waking up early each morning instead of sleeping half the day. I'm glad to see that a blog finally resonated with you and in return, you took the initiative to complete it, submit it first, and set the bar high...
Ben,
DeleteI already replied to two blogs, but I had to say yours was great. I also had a paper route as a kid and experienced working at a young age, so I know what your talking about. Every point you had was well supported, and it made an overall wonderful argument. Well done!
I interviewed my brother, Luke Kraus, and asked him about his first real job. Back in high school Luke worked at the Pines for our grandfather as well in the pro shop at our local golf course, and him and I both felt those jobs could be considered as his first real jobs. So I asked Luke if he thought it was necessary that teenagers get a job before graduating. Luke said, "absolutely teenagers should get a job because not only is it a good way to earn extra money to pay for college tuition, but it sparks a good work ethic in the person." Luke continued on by saying that the jobs back in Saint Mary's in high school helped him to get a job in Pittsburgh when he lived there this past summer. "Since I worked everyday at the Pines, and then went to the golf course and worked at night, I was always working and this made my work ethic stronger as I wanted to always have a job and work hard at it no matter what I was doing." Luke said that in Pittsburgh working overtime was not as hard for him because his high school jobs trained him for that. Concluding the interview, Luke left me with a personal experience saying that because he took pride in his work at the Hofbrauhaus in Pittsburgh, he ended up making $5 per hour more than when he started, and got a job promotion.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe high school kids should have a job, especially in the summer. During the school year is difficult for kids because of sports activities, clubs, or other school related things. Often times in the summer months, kids are inside playing video games or watching tv. The kids need to go get a job for a number of reasons. The main reason, in my opinion, is to make money they will need for college or for later life purchases. College tuition is not cheap at all, and many families struggle to pay for it, therefore the children who have jobs are making money to help support the college fund. Another reason high schoolers should have jobs is exactly what Luke talked about, it creates a good work ethic and a mindset of working. Starting in high school, kids can get a feel for what a job is like and start to take responsibility for themselves. The final reason a high school student should get a job is because it helps them learn life skills and things they can use later on. Personally I can relate to this because I have three summer jobs and I learn something from them everyday. In my job at the pines, I learn how to use different tools and lawn equipment such as a chainsaw. As a employee in the pro shop I learn how to deal with people who usually thinks they are better than you, honestly golfers are something! Finally, by umpiring I can learn how to deal with people who disagree with you and how to handle them in those situations.
Overall, having a job in high school is a wonderful thing, and I think that everyone should have one. There are many benefits from a job in high school not matter if you are a librarian, umpire, or janitor at McDonald's.
Gabe,
DeleteYour blog was excellent this week. I enjoyed how you connected the ideas your brother gave in his interview with your own opinions on the topic. Almost every point you made related back to a point your brother made. I thought your blog also contained very strong connections to both ethos and logos.
Gabe,
DeleteI agree with Hailee that you did a great job of drawing parallelism between your brother's and your own points. Also, wow! Three summer jobs, that's impressive! I think that adds a great deal of ethos to your blog. You made the point that a summer job presents a good option for students that are busy with school and extracurricular activities. I partially agree with that point because a summer job would help alleviate the stress of having a job during the school year, but, on the other hand, having a job during the school year can help teach students the importance of time management and balance in their lives even when they have a lot going on.
Gabe,
DeleteYou laid a solid foundation for your overall argument by providing an analysis of Luke's experiences in high school. Hope all is going well for him! I know he certainly was living the dream traveling with Pittsburgh this past week in the NCAA Tournament. You made a good point that corresponded to athletes: the fact that it is difficult for them to get a job during school because academics and their respective sports consume most of the time; so they should pursue work in the summer. Then you backed up this point by describing your three summer jobs. Lastly, you gave an interesting perspective on umpiring, specifically how it has taught you to handle situations in which others disagree with you.
Gabe,
DeleteYour blog was great! By using your brothers experience, you showed solid proof for what you said. Yes, your brother is happy, and yes he had to make sacrifices as a teenager and even now to get to the place he is in life. Adding your personal experiences made the blog even better, and your points stronger. I like how you mention that teenagers should take responsibility for themselves. This not occurring is exactly why so many people struggle out of high school, and work is the perfect solution.
At some point in our lives, we have all heard someone say that hard work leads to success. From my observations and experience it is entirely true that hard work and discipline guide you toward success. I believe that a work experience would be incredibly beneficial to all teenagers for several reasons.
ReplyDeleteI chose to interview my mom about her first job. She believed that her first job helped her to learn how to work with others. Occasionally, this is a hard skill to learn. Many of us have a difficult time working with others and listening to their ideas, and eventually most of us will be in a position where we are working with another person that we may not like in our daily lives. My mom also believed that her first job taught her responsibility. She claimed that by working as a teenager, she had to learn how to balance school, activities, family, and friends on top of her job. This helped her to learn time management skills and the importance of them. My mom also said that her first job taught her how to meet the demands of customers. Some of us may eventually have a job where we must work with customers and clients on many different levels. Most companies also support the idea that, "the customer is always right." By holding a job in high school you learn how to deal with customers and how to help them to make sure that they receive the best service possible.
Through my own observations, I know that by holding a job in high school helps you to be able to find a job in college and in the real world. By showing your future employer how much you have worked since you were a teenager helps them to know that your work ethic is strong. I have also learned that by holding down a job as a teenager helps you to learn several important life skills that are vital to a good future inside and out of the work force.
Hailee:
DeleteYour mom helped you to make some very solid arguments. I agree with what you had to say. I totally agree with the balance aspect of the job with all the activities teenagers are involved with. I like how you stated that this helps people find a job in college, I absolutely agree. Furthermore, I wish you would have incorporated a little more of what you thought instead of what your mom said, I just feel too much was the interview. Concluding, you made solid points and made a good argument.
Hailee,
DeleteI completely agree with your stance on the necessities of work. You had some points that I hadn't thought of. I like that you approached your argument from the angle of work's effects on interactions between people. I would have liked to have heard a bit more on your specific opinion on work in addition to your mother's, but overall, great job!
Hailee,
DeleteI liked how you interviewed your mom, her points really made your argument strong. Great job.
Hailee,
DeleteWork definitely helps people learn hard work, and you said that from your own experiences you learned this. I think your blog could have been stir get if you would have elaborated more on what that experience was to show you hard work leads to success. Like gabe and Catherine said, your own opinion on this would have made your blog much better. Although you did provide some very good information.
Pt. 1
ReplyDeleteI interviewed my brother about his first job. The summer of Austin's junior year in high school, he began working at Saint Boniface. He told me that before he started working, he had no true respect for the value of money, had no idea how to work with money, and had almost no money saved. By the end of that summer, Austin had learned how to use a saving and checking accounts, he learned how much work actually goes into making money, and he had saved over $2,000. Work builds an honest, balanced, and self-sufficient character. Working can have a variety of beneficial effects on high school students. While school can provide students with certain important knowledge, it is also important that they learn about more practical fundamentals that can be taught to them through employment.
Firstly, having a job provides students with a learning experience like no other. It gives them an opportunity to learn how to handle money, save money, and earn money on their own. It removes the fear of unprecedented self-dependency that sets in during college. It helps lessen the financial and emotional dependency on their parents that high school students possess. In addition, employment teaches students a lot about themselves. The opportunities set in front of them give them reason to contemplate their likes and dislikes. They will be provided with situations that will help them to determine their future goals and aspirations. Lastly, holding down a job, as well as going to school, and participating in extracurricular activities teaches a student the importance of balance in life. From that balance, they will gain important skills such as time management and good work ethic.
Also, a job presents several valuable financial benefits to a student. Extra income can allow a student experience with supporting themselves instead of relying solely on their parents. Money for the meager expenses of a student can therefore be taken out of their own income. Such responsibility will help students learn the value of money, rather than belief that money is just an object to be handed to them, which, during college, will be an important and difficult lesson to learn. With college fast-approaching, students with jobs can begin saving money to lessen student loan debt in the future. In my family, the children are always required to pay for a portion of their college education, and without a job, this feat would be far more difficult. The price of a college education is steadily rising, and therefore, so is the importance of employment during high school. There is also the added benefit of a bit of extra spending money for expenses such as gas or social outings.
Pt. 2
ReplyDeleteExperience, for a high school student, holds great value. Job experience not only looks good on college applications, but it prepares students for their futures, in college, and beyond. As Albert Einstein says, "The only source of knowledge is experience." After completion of college, with a nice new degree and good grades, there is no true guarantee of employment. I believe it is a popular misconception that graduating immediately lends itself to a career. Unfortunately, many students can end up working in places that have no correlation with their intended line of work because they have no experience. Employers are often looking for workers who have had prior work experience in their field,or otherwise, because they do not want an employee that has no idea what they are doing. In many cases, to get a job, it is necessary that you have already had a job. This makes it incredibly difficult for the recent graduate. As the child of two pharmacists, I have heard a number of stories in relation to this. My parents have told me of the number of jobs they could not have achieved after college if they did not have prior working experience. Just this year, both of my parents decided to search for new jobs, and after only one application, they were presented with a job offer. After being hired, their employers had told them that their experience was the most impressive and important part of an employee's résumé. Although this was not in direct correlation with their employment during high school, their jobs after graduation (which DID result from prior employment) gave them the invaluable experience that impressed their new employers. When they were in high school, and during breaks in college, they both had small jobs working in pharmacies. Some of their friends had not, and their struggle to find employment reflected that. Knowledge is not always enough to get a person where they need to go, but experience can help take them further. While it is true that in some cases, experience is not a requirement to get a job, it surely benefits a person's application and increases their chances of being hired over a person without experience.
Working is a great thing and every teenager should have a job while in high school. Most teenagers complain if they have to work but they do not realize that working is teaching them responsibility and work ethic. In todays society teenagers do not know good work ethic and in the end it is only going to hurt them. If teenagers have a job while in high school they can learn how to manage their time between doing homework and going to work.
ReplyDeleteIn my own experience I know good work ethic because from the time I was little my parents taught me how to work. Even my grandparents taught me how to work, us grandchildren would go to our grandparents and help with the garden, cut grass, and many more things. Till I got to an age that I could get a job somewhere I would always work with my grandparents and family. One summer I spent the whole summer working at my father's business and it taught me so much work ethic. It taught me that I had to wake up early and had to work from 7 in the morning till 5 at night. I believe that working has taught me that if I want anything in life I have to work for it because nothing is ever just handed to you. Till this day I have a job and when I did not have a job I would work for a neighbor or something. I never sat around playing video games or watching TV. During my experience while working I do believe that every teenager should get a job while in high school because in the end it will only benefit them.
With unemployment being such a national concern, the rather fatuous question of whether work is good or bad is brought up frequently. The world's ambivalence towards work is due to the fact that work means pay in our capitalist system. "Many philosophers call this an instrumental good, which means something valuable, not in itself, but for what it can be achieved. In our economic system, most of us inevitably see our work as a means to something else: it makes a living, but it doesn’t make a life" (Gutting). I believe that work is crucial for people to show each individual responsibility and understand that working is essential in today's world, but teenagers should be working toward leisure. We are only teenagers once, we have the rest of our lives to work. I undoubtably agree that work is crucial to make a living, but as a teenager that time has not yet come. Aristotle once said that "we work to have leisure, on which happiness depends." This may sound a bit ridiculous by achieving leisure by doing nothing, but Aristotle is talking about the leisure that is productive activity enjoyed for its own sake. Engaging in activists such as sports, theatre, music, being with friends and family, or any other activities that give personal enjoyment is what makes a good life, not work. Let me remind you again, that I believe work is crucial, just not for teenagers. Many of you might say to this that there are teenagers who have to work to support their families or lazy people out there who won't do those things to do the right kind of leisure, and I would agree. There is always an exception to arguments like these. If someone doesn't have a choice to not work due to financial difficulties, that is obviously an exception. Same with a lazy person who has no intentions to better themselves with productive activity, then they should without question get a job. These types of individuals obviously need direction, and work does show responsibility and helps work ethic.
ReplyDeleteI asked my dad what he thought about teenagers working, and he thinks that teenagers should not be over worked. He thinks that teenagers should have a part time job in the summer learning responsibility and helping them find interest in what they want to do in the future. My dad's first job was working for windfall products doing miscellaneous work in the plant. He agrees that a part time summer job is good for teenagers, but they should not be overworked.
Like me and many other of my classmates at school, we participate in extracurricular activities year round at school. Whether it's competing with friends in sports, working to make our bodies fit, working on individual success, or mastering that instrument, we are all being productive. Work can wait, being with friends playing sports and other activities can't. Time is a precious thing, and we have our entire lives to work.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/08/work-good-or-bad/
Brad,
DeleteWhen I first started to read your blog, I thought it was ridiculous. While supported by a qualified source, it sounded like the words of an oblivious teenager from a first-class family. As I read on, however, it started to sound better and better. I agree when you say that teenagers should work in moderation, which I didn't realize was your point until later in the blog. What I don't agree with, however, is that happiness is dependent on leisure. I am positive that one can be happy and working hard at the same time, because me and my family have been doing it for a long time.
A phrase I have heard many times in my life is "Things worth having don't come easy." This saying relates to work very well. Work is beneficial in many ways, but it's difficult as well. Work is necessary to make teenagers understand the value of money, to appreciate what they have, and to prepare for later life. Those who do not work is high school are ultimately further behind.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was a person who started working form the minute he was legally allowed. His first real job was at K-Mart, and when I asked him if it was his decision to get a job, he said it was. He was excited to start working and do something for himself. From that time on, he has never stopped working. He didn't stop when he joined high school sports or when he went to college. This is most likely why he is so smart financially, and why he knows how much to spend when to ensure a stable but comfortable life. This isn't an easy thing to do when you have seven kids who all go to a catholic school, but he makes it work. Without him and my mom, I wouldn't have that same value as they do.
Teenagers need to work in order to learn the value of the things they have. However, it's hard to make that happen when things are not prioritized right. When a teenager has everything payed for them and they don't have to support themselves at all, they will automatically choose fun and extracurricular activities over work every time. They say they would rather have those experiences than money. If they knew how much money actually made their life how it is, they would have a different outlook. All my life I have payed for things I don't necessarily need, such as my cellphone bill. I pay for a lot of my clothes, and use my own money when I want to go out. Because if this, I have a better understanding of how work correlates to money than most teenagers.
Working for things you own makes someone appreciate what they have. It is easy to become greedy and selfish when people are handing you things. Sure, sports may make you value hard work and see what comes out of it, but it is not a real life situation. One day you will have to choose between that basketball game and your job, and if your entire life you chose basketball, you will be in for an awakening when you suffer the consequences the first time. Work makes you appreciate things and know their true value.
If someone doesn't know how to budget certain things before they live on their own, they will struggle in later life. It is better to try, fail, and eventually learn when you have someone there to teach you and break your fall. This is why working as a teenager is so important. Learning good habits when your young is less risky than waiting until you absolutely have to. Hard work is difficult, but it is well worth it for everyone, even teenagers.
This weekend, I talked to my father about his first job and the learning experiences associated with employment. At a young age, he worked for Pennsylvania Industrial Heat Treaters, where he ran the ovens and loaded and removed furnaces with parts that ranged anywhere from the size of a coin to the size of a softball. This was strenuous labor with low pay, so it taught him how to work hard and maintain an appropriate mindset in the process. In addition, my dad learned how a business operated and how he compared to other workers in terms of skill-set. This was advantageous in the long run because it revealed that he was mechanically-gifted. Without a doubt, early opportunities in the workforce can shed light on the path to a successful future. However, I believe it is essential to embrace the present time.
ReplyDeleteSurely it is acceptable to work under necessary circumstances; for example, getting a job in the summer instead of sitting around all day doing nothing. Nonetheless, I don't think teenagers should be required to hold down a consistent job. It limits them from reaching their full potential because it takes time away from studies, sports, etc. My junior varsity basketball coach once said something along the lines of "when you're fifteen, do fifteen-year-old things; when you're twenty-one, then you can do twenty-one-year-old things." It's true, isn't it? When you're fifteen years of age, you shouldn't be doing twenty-one-year-old things like drinking. Similarly, I know if I worked daily, I would never be able to take the classes or play the sports that I do. Consequently, it would actually hinder my future with regards to academic and athletic excellence and college exploration in general. Often times too, I hear my coaches say they would give anything to be able to step on the field or court just one more time. Never would I ever quit a sport, rather anything I love, so that I could work during that time. Not only is this relatable to myself as an athlete, but really this is applicable to anyone whose life is centralized on something that only the teenage years can bring. While working at a young age certainly teaches responsibility and helps attain a financial head start, it is crucial to live in the moment and come to realize that once in a lifetime opportunities should never be sacrificed for work.
Teens should have job while in school, this is am important aspect of learning about the "real world." Hold a job for a teenager is an important lesson for anyone to learn. Working while in school helps the student develop in many ways: it teaches hard work, shows the importance of education, and it gives the student extra money or helps them pay for college. I interviewed my mom. Her first job was working at the bowling alleys, at the Boulevard Lanes in St.Mary's. She started in high school. She stated that teenagers should work and it is important the the development of the student. She says that holding a job teaches responsibility for the teenager. She said that she enjoyed working and it help prepare her for out of college work. Working thought high school is an intricate part of development for someone entering adulthood. Working while in high school, teaches the student many important lessons in life, like managing their money and responsibility. My personal experience with work is that I need to work because of the college education that I want to receive will leave me greatly in debt. This scares me and forces me to work so that after college I do not have to worry about less money, because of hard work in high school. Working has made me realize how important a good education is to me, so that I can do something that I love to do everyday. Working has also made me reconsider my purchases that I make on a weekly biases, and spend less money on frivolous things. The last and greatest thing that working has taught me is responsibility for what I do and made sure that I am a trusted worker. It has helped me in becoming a better person, who truly cares about what I do and make sure it is of the highest quality possible. Working while in high school is important for many reasons but learning about the real world, and responsibility are the two most important. Every student should work throughout high schoolroom receive this education.
ReplyDeleteContinued
ReplyDeleteIn order to prevent my argument from seeming contradictory, my dad understands that times have changed and he too does not believe I should have to find consistent, daily work; hence the reason he wants me to remain as physically active as possible by lifting weights and participating in three sports, and continue to strive for academic excellence by challenging myself: both of which require a great deal of time and could not be fulfilled if I had a steady job.