Students have been struggling to stay productive on their off-days this year. There are a variety of reasons for this, including oversleeping, hanging out with friends and part-time jobs.
Some employed students have been neglecting to participate on their off-days in favor of working. While this is against PV’s policy regarding attendance on off-days, there are currently little repercussions for violating said policy. This leaves those students to do as they please.
There are several reasons why students choose to work on their off-days. A PV junior, who wished to remain anonymous, explained his thoughts on work during school hours. “On my off-days, I can’t find motivation to do school work. I don’t feel like online schooling helps me learn very much, so I don’t see much benefit in participating.”
Senior Lola Johannsen shared she works on her off-days for financial reasons. “I work on my off-days because I need money for things here and there and I also save so I have money for college.” Working on top of school also leaves Johannsen drained and she says that there can be pressure to take shifts during school hours.
Financial reasons are not the only reasons students work on their off-days. Senior Carson Maxwell likes the break it gives him from schoolwork.. “It’s a little mental break from school. I usually do school work till 9ish and work till 1. It’s a great way to get away from school for a little while and stay productive,” he explained.
Maxwell also elaborated on why he chooses to work during the day. “Extracurriculars prevent me from working outside of school hours and I want to be prepared for college so working when I can is something I try to do,” he said.
Hybrid learning has had a huge effect on teenagers’ schedules. As important as school can be to a teenager, many are starting to allocate more time to work. With more families struggling financially following the economic implications caused by the pandemic, more responsibility has been put on the shoulders of teenagers. Whether or not this responsibility can be properly handled is another question society faces as it attempts to regain a sense of normalcy.
