Jobs can take a toll on teens

The high school principal bent a knee toward the floor and clasped his hands in supplication. "I beg you," he beseeched. "Write something about high school kids working."

Nearly three in 10 full-time high school students are employed. According to government statistics, nine out of 10 of them work less than 35 hours a week, but some hold full-time jobs. Educators aren't against students working. They know some families need the income. They also know jobs can be terrific teachers B of responsibility, time management and career preparation. But educators oppose students working more than 15 to 20 hours a week. And they're really averse to teens working from the time school lets out until shifts end at 10 p.m., 11 p.m. or later.

Students who work long, late hours fall asleep at their desks the next day. They may not be listening. They may not be participating in school activities. They may not be learning. Walk in any high school classroom on any morning. The odds are good you'll find at least two or three teens nodding off.

To be fair, science finds they may be wired that way. Sleep research shows that the circadian rhythm of teen-age bodies predisposes teens to stay up until 11 p.m. and sleep late into the morning B several hours past the typical high school start time. Sleep researchers also say teens need, but don't get, nine hours of sleep a night. Students who close restaurants at 11 p.m. aren't likely to head right to bed. They'll do homework (maybe, maybe not), get on the Internet, watch television or talk on the phone.

University professors say the problem doesn't stop at high school graduation. They see lots of in-class sleepers. And what really bugs teachers is that many young workers aren't motivated by true financial need. Working is just "the thing to do."

"For what reason?" a university educator asked. "Many of them don't need to work. They're living their lives in fast forward instead of getting the maximum learning benefit available to them."

A couple of years ago, I surveyed hundreds of teens for a report on working teens. A majority said adults should chill out and let them work. They wanted the money to buy things, they said. Besides, there was plenty of time left to pursue loftier professional goals.

Maybe so. But some teens, and apparently their parents, don't have the good sense to put a lid on school-day work hours.

The government imposes a limit of 18 hours a school week for 14- and 15-year-old workers and forbids work after 7 p.m. for that age group during the school year. I wouldn't want similar dictates for 16- to 18-year-olds. There are too many personal circumstances to consider. But if teens and parents can't put reasonable limits on school-day work hours, then the appeal goes to employers: Don't hire full-time students to lock up, work late on school nights or work full-time-equivalent hours during the school year.

Doing well in school and learning should be teens' work. If "invincible" teens can't see they're being robbed, maybe you can.

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