Seasonal work for Irish students?

TEACHERS: How does work/extracurricular activities affect your adolescent students?

• 1. Which types of classes (easier/lower tracked or harder/higher track) do you think have the highest percentage of working students? 2. Does work affect a students desire to succeed in your class? 3. Does participating in school related extracurricular activities have the same affect as work on a students desire to succeed in class? 4. Are there any differences between the desire to succeed between male and female students who participate in extracurricular activities?

• Answer:

  1. Well I teach 8th grade so I cant really answer this one because they are not really old enough to get jobs yet. 2. I would like to think that work does affect a students drive to succeed. I doubt many high school students want to work at a fast food place all their lives or as a bag boy at a grocery store. I would like to think that students who have jobs would want to better themselves through getting a college degree and preparing for their future. 3. I know that the students who are athletes in my classes want to succeed in my classes because if they are not passing their classes then they do not get to play their sport that week. We check grades on the athletes and students in clubs and other organizations to make sure they are doing ok. 4. I dont think gender matters when it comes to wanting to succeed so they can participate in their extracuriccular activities. I have had both guys and girls in tears because they were failing my math class and could not participate that week. If a student is passionate about the sport they play they will want to do well so they can play. Also it is kinda embarrassing for the student to not be able to play because they are failing a class. When you normally play and you are sitting the bench other kids start to ask you why you are not playing and then the kid has to tell them they are failing a class.