The United States government will have the capability of raising the national age of employment from sixteen years of age to eighteen years of age - incentivizing students and the youth of the United States of America to stay in school and continue in their education.
It's no lie that the state of education in the US is "somewhat" flawed, and perhaps it may be that the working age starts at 16, providing an opportunity for students to drop out of their upper education to go and earn money. By raising that age to 18 years, it would allow a student to remain in, and complete, a high school education, which is a bare essential of a decent resume. Additionally, it may have the affect of bettering the quality of the workforce. More education means more knowledge, more knowledge means better foundation, and better foundation means better quality workers, and thus that would lead to a better educated workforce as a whole.
I respectfully disagree with the premise of this amendment. Restricting young people's right to their own labor is not an adequate incentive for students to remain in school, in fact I would argue that this would have the opposite effect of increasing youth violence and crime based on the lack of legal job alternatives for minors who are expected to provide for themselves and/or supplement their household incomes. We should focus on "better" rather than the "more" suggested here when discussing education.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with this proposal. Two thirds of high school dropouts say that they were not motivated enough by their teachers, counselors, or parents/family to graduate from high school. Many say that they were not prepared well enough to adequately fulfill their school's requirements for graduation. I don't think the national age of employment is the problem; the problem is the education system. There isn't enough support for the students and there aren't enough resources to prepare them for the road ahead. I would also like to point out that most students don't drop out of high school because they want to work, they drop out because they have to. And what about the teenagers who want summer jobs? What about those who work to save up for college?
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this amendment. There are many students who choose to work, while still a student, in order to better their resumes. This would be taking that right away from them, preventing them from gaining experience in the workforce and understanding the ways of working in a professional setting. I actually think this amendment can cause a lowering in quality of the workforce - when people begin working without any experience, versus having employees who understand how to communicate their abilities well in a workplace.
ReplyDeleteAlso, understanding the reason why students drop out should be a primary concern. Majority of students don't drop out in order to work, they drop out when they don't feel like school is worthy of their time, or when they feel as though they cannot graduate successfully anyway. Like the two comments stated above, the education is more to blame.
Further, many families are impoverished. Philadelphia, as we know, is a city with one of the highest poverty rates. It is crucial for some families that their children begin working in order to supplement their income and put food on the table. I think this amendment can cause many more problems for our country than it solves.
I have had two jobs since turning 16 and I think that it has helped me grow as an individual and as a student rather than prevented me from being a successful student. Of course it is difficult to work and be a full time student at the same time and for many teens it is just impossible. However, for those who do choose to work I think learning to work in a professional work place and also manage school is a very important skill for teenagers to have. Working as a student has helped me improve on time and money management and responsibility, it has helped me learn how to work well with other people, and it has given me a sense of independence. I love being able to buy things with out having to ask my parents for money. It is a very rewarding feeling to deposit a check that you know you've worked hard for. I think that working as a teenager will definitely help me get a job after college as well.
ReplyDeleteI think taking away a teens option of working while being in school would be unfair and detrimental to many students.
I disagree with this amendment because I believe 16 is a responsible age for teenagers to seek job experience and earn an income. Personally, I know teenagers who work to help provide for their family and if this amendment was passed, that is an extra 2 hard years for their family. The experiences these teenagers gain can build a better character that can communicate better with others and understand the difficulties and importance of employment in the future. More education may mean more knowledge but without the money to provide for themselves and their family, how can education be their top priority? I basically agree with all the comments above and disagree on the idea behind this proposed amendment.
ReplyDeleteSuggestion: instead of raising the working age to 18 (maybe make an amendment that ensures that 16 year olds don't drop out "just" to work).
ReplyDeleteThere are many 16/ 17 year olds who are in financial hardships and must take a job in order to help out their families. Raising the working age to 18 may deny these adolescences the chance to ease their personal situations. Likewise, teenage pregnancies require these teenagers to obtain jobs in order to support their families. Raising the working age may increase abortions (because they might not have any other means to raise their children).
Although it is valid to say that the current working age may influence some teenagers to drop out of schools, increasing the age limit may engender worse problems.
I think obtaining jobs as teenagers promote independence and allows adolescence to step into the real world. Also, it allows people to start financing their college funds early on.