NHS Students Essential In and Out of the Classroom

Students of Norwood High School had definitely been working hard during the school year, even after the 2:23 P.M. bell rang. Now, they’re taking on a new challenge. 

Many students have worked part-time jobs during this pandemic, oftentimes more than they had worked before due to all of the time freed up by lack of set school hours. This can be a challenge for most student employees because finding motivation to do school work is tougher than ever. However, these students are pushing through, optimistic for better times after the pandemic is over.

For many, jobs have gotten in the way of school work, or have at least made it more difficult to complete on time. 

Junior Jillian Olbrys, who works at Orange Leaf in Norwood, claims that schoolwork can be made more stressful because “my schedule is unpredictable and I don’t know when my shifts are going to be.” 

A random work schedule can prevent students from organizing their time in order to complete their school work at a set time every day. Because of this, work easily gets piled up. 

Before online school was instituted, students could only work weekends or whenever they didn’t have school or a sport, considerably limiting their time to work. Now, with a lot of time cleared up by cancellations, students can work as much as they are legally allowed. 

Junior Cameron McDonough, who works at Rojo Car Wash in Norwood, claims to work “6 days a week, and work has absolutely interfered with school work.” 

The biggest issue with completing school work is the lack of motivation. All the enjoyable aspects of school that made students want to learn, such as talking with teachers, working with other students, and even going out and changing scenery, are not present for online learning, and this allows students to not be as excited to do homework. 

Junior Mollie Cronin, employed at Lovell’s Florist & Nursery in Medfield, explains that “Coming home after an 8-hour shift, there is nothing I want to do less than schoolwork. It doesn’t feel like it’s being enforced, and it takes up a huge amount of time. It feels like busywork, and nobody really wants to do it.”

In this sense, schoolwork can be made very difficult when students are already occupied with a job. However, they are pushing through and facing the challenge like the rest of the Norwood (and worldwide) community.