Originally Written for English 101 on November 15, 2001.

A large population of American students are struggling in college. According to some academic professionals, young adults fail to spend enough time on studying. As a result, these teachers are frustrated that their pupils are not satisfactorily completing their assignments.

Walter S. Minot, a professor of English at Gannon University, believes he has found the reason for the decline of education. In his article Students Who Push Burgers, Minor relates a typical example of employed students. His student believes he is overwhelmed with work and financial obligations.

Minot believes that part-time employment of students is the issue. He states that it has been overlooked by all the commentaries that he has reviewed.

Minot explains that the world has accepted and even celebrated the part-time job as a “normal feature of adolescence.” To argue his case, Minot relies on his own memories to show that such employment is unnecessary.

In the 1950s, most teenagers lacked steady employment and relied heavily on chores, babysitting, mowing, and delivering. Minot explains that those who worked regularly were poor and needed to help their families.

In contrast, Minot briefly touches upon his own daughter’s academic days. Minot would not allow her to work. He compared how he allowed her to focus on homework while her friends had little time.

Minot believes that young people waste their money on useless items and somehow parents have allowed this problem to happen. As a teacher, Minot has seen the effects of student employment. He wishes his students would set aside more time for studying, then for work and play. By the time students arrive at college, they view studying as an optional activity. Minot explains this is why students find it difficult to finish quality work on time.

Minot concludes that American education has declined because young students have entered the workforce. Now, everyone is paying the price.

Although Minot offers an interesting analysis, he has overlooked other possibilities for the problem.

First, Minot enjoyed the societal privilege of a long-gone era. Although his parents supported him, the current generation is not as fortunate. Many students have to work to pay for housing, transportation, food, clothing, tuition, and insurance. They do not waste their money on “useless tripe.”

Second, it is true that many students choose whether or not to study. If they spend their free time more wisely, then they will have both employment and academic success. But some students who fail school are unemployed. They do not have the aptitude to learn in academic settings. Other students decide to experiment with drugs and consume alcohol. Both are reasons that Minot dismisses as part of a “universal scapegoat.” Yet, condemning part-time student employment will not fix our educational system.

In conclusion, Minot assumes that the times haven’t changed. To him, students can rely on their family to support them through school. But part-time employment is necessary for some students, because they have no other choice. There are problems behind the decline of education that can’t be contained or explained in just one analysis or commentary.

WORKS CITED

Minot, Walter S. Students Who Push Burgers. Rpt. in the Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing. John D. Ramage and John C. Bean. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. pp. 301-302.