Should Extracurricular Activities be Required? by Brett

Should Extracurricular Activities be Required? by Brett - October 2015 Scholarship Essay

Requirements. They exist for nearly every grade of school, there are work requirements and requirements to be admitted to college and other programs. Requirements exist in every part of our life. In addition to requirements there are many approaches to learning, which fulfill those requirements. Different styles meet different people’s needs. Students must know their own learning style and the myriad ways to accomplish a requirement. It took me several years to learn what style I am comfortable with. But, once I learned my style I rapidly completed requirements for high school and now to be admitted to college.

Extracurricular activities can be conducted in a variety of ways and thousands of students every year participate in those activities.

Challenging classes and outside classes are one way to take advantage of extracurricular activities. I was able to enroll during the summers in online courses, freeing up time for more electives during the school year. I also took advantage of college programs in topics that interested me, that resulted in college credit earned during high school. I also took advantage of online college courses learning how those courses are structured. All of these activities helped me learn better because they require me to solve realistic problems and provide different learning experiences. Rigorous courses push me to challenge myself and it prepared me for higher level high school and college level courses.

Participating in an activity outside of the classroom with students who take their work seriously. Every student learns differently and some students want to do well and study hard, but they also know how to balance their time and have fun. I look for classmates and friends who want to work together to learn what is being taught. Forming these friendships introduced me to new activities like volleyball, bowling and snowboarding. These are now part of my extracurricular activities. It helps to have classmates that study but know when to stop and take breaks or participate in outside activities for fun.

Hands on learning is an effective strategy to teach students about difficult topics and new challenges. I’ve been involved in a number of community service projects that exceeded the number of hours I was required to earn. I used those hours to learn about parts of the community that I didn’t know enough about and that requirement also allowed me to make a difference.

Each of these activities can be performed as an extracurricular, independently or in a group. There are opportunities in every school and community, and while most students participate in a school or local sport, there are clubs and activities that are often overlooked. Schools provide lots of club activities, but there are many chances for students to create their own club and use their leadership skills to motivate others to join. Often students don’t even realize they have this skill and overlook its importance in their growth.

There are also outside activities in places such as community centers, churches and even libraries. Our local library offers a teen book club and even chess classes. These are all activities that will enrich any student, or even adult, life. And there are many adults that guide students toward these activities. They are all extracurricular and while we move in and out of these activities based on what we like and dislike, it is still exposure and opportunity.

Should extracurricular activities be required? No, they should not. However, I hope the adults and educators in our lives continue to guide students toward these activities to explore on their own. With all of the course and community service requirements that exist, the fact that there are clubs and sports that many already take advantage of, and the fact that some students must work or assist their family, I don’t believe we need another requirement. But encouragement is always welcome!