Extracurriculars Shouldn't Interfere with School Activities

Extracurricular activities are very important; they enrich students’ lives and can be very helpful in many ways, but how far is too far? As important as extracurriculars are, it is also important to be able to balance school and other activities. In no world should extracurriculars interfere with school activities!

As students, one of the most important parts of our lives right now is school, and that includes all of the additional things it brings. Imagine having to skip your first performance of the school play that you've spent months working on because you have soccer practice! A student shouldn’t be benched or threatened with being kicked off the team because they have a life outside of their sport, especially if it is an extracurricular activity that is not affiliated with the school. If a sports team is held outside of school, then they should be conscious that a child’s first priority should be school. 

With all of this said, there are, of course, many kids who know that whether it’s a sport, theater, or another activity, and it is what they want to do for the rest of their lives, it’s understandable that they’d want to put so much time and effort into it. Maybe they're trying to get a scholarship, maybe this is their passion… but maybe it's not.  There are many different types of people, and many different passions, but the point here is that extracurriculars shouldn't always be the priority in a student’s life, and they shouldn't have to be scared that they’ll be kicked off the team because they missed one practice. It is a lot of stress for someone who is constantly having things thrown at them in school and in their social lives. 

Fear is instilled into children through things like these, whether it be the fear of letting their team or their coaches down, or of failing at something they want to be good at. Although this can push children forward and encourage them to be a part of something bigger than themselves, it can still lead to unnecessary stress and burnout. 

There are many different possible solutions for this, as each team and activity is different. One of the solutions could be coaches and activity leaders meeting with the team and creating a schedule together that helps support students, not stretch them thin. Students and parents should prioritize academic success and mental health over perfect attendance at every single practice or meeting. Adults leading these extracurriculars should be able to understand that students have academic responsibilities, as well as responsibilities with the team. This is absolutely not to say that students can’t dedicate themselves to their sport or team. It is great to have something that you are passionate about and something to work towards. Sports and such help create goals and build bonds between people. It can also teach time management and many other life lessons. However, it shouldn't be the only thing that matters, and missing one practice for a school event shouldn’t be the end of the world. 

Granted, a team is a group of people relying on each other to thrive in something, and students should be responsible enough to know that you can't miss every practice or every game, and eventually, excuses ruin things. There should be consequences for many absences, and when effort is clearly not being put in, but not because there was a more important event going on one time. Students should never feel like they’re doing something wrong for putting their learning first. Rushing lessons or not studying enough for a test to make it to a music lesson or a club sport, defeats the whole point of school. 

Extracurricular programs need to realize that they are only one part of a student's life, not the whole thing. Students deserve to go to their first school-play performance, or stay after school for tutoring to earn a good grade on their failing class; of course, they should be able to balance their extracurriculars, because at the end of the day, they are important too… but so is school!