The Importance of Extracurricular Activities

The Importance of Extracurricular Activities
A lot of schools, elementary through high school levels, struggling government's budget cuts due to the nation’s economic downward. Looking to save academic standards, administrations cut other programs such as physical education or fine arts to save money. However, studies show that these extracurricular activities help students stayed focused on schoolwork and academic prowess. By attempting to save funds to put towards students’ learning, schools have inadvertently begun to take away from the growing environment associated with education.
Extracurricular activities provide students with an outlet to express themselves, whether it is on a court or with an instrument in hand. Weekly practices teach individuals discipline, showing them the importance of showing up to practice and contributing to their team. The routine that accompanies an activity gives the student a sense of stability and consistency (Eccles 867). In an otherwise hectic schedule, a solid timeframe devoted to a specific activity can be a welcome change of pace. Practices can be therapeutic, offering an allotted amount of time to focus on a specific task while letting off steam or pent up energy.
Opposing views argue that frequent practices take away from students’ time to study and focus on schoolwork. They fear that having activities outside of academics divide the students’ attention too much, spreading out time and energy too thinly. However, many extracurricular activities require a minimum GPA in order to participate, which urges and requires students to keep of their grades (Darling 494). Such policies are common because coaches and instructors are educators who understand the importance than academics play in a student’s life.
Secondly, extracurricular activities also often teach the importance of teamwork and using the skills that each individual of a group to its fullest potential. The transition from being a single being to becoming a piece of something much larger and consisting of anywhere from a few individuals to hundreds can certainly be daunting (Gilman 752). However, becoming a part of a team is important when it comes to social aspects of an academic setting. Team sports or musical activities teach students the importance of working together and shows them the resources that can be found in the form of each person present (Haensly 117).
Many parents and authorities justify the cut of extracurricular activities by pointing out the segregation and formation of clichés associated with them (Eccles 874). Negative things are also possible in any social situation; however, team sports and activities work to break down stereotypes and to show that each and every person has something unique to bring to the group. One player cannot replace the skill of a whole team, no matter how talented the individual may be. A single person cannot be everywhere at once. One musician cannot play a symphony on his or her own. Winning a championship requires a collective effort of a group of people, and a musical piece can only be properly expressed with the dedication of a band or orchestra.
Extracurricular activities offer students a way to meet people with similar goals and hobbies. In a social setting such as school, having a group of people who share your interests can be vital to thriving in such an environment. High school can be a terrifying and isolating experience without the chance to socialize and meet other people, let alone people who have the same hobbies (Darling 493). Extracurricular activities bring students together who are interested in the same subject, and that is a solid foundation to understand and get to know one another.
Social segregation is a huge concern for parents and teachers, and extracurricular activities certainly have the potential to have a negative effect on students. However, such activities offer students an opportunity to grow and make friends with like-minded people, perhaps a chance that students would otherwise not get. A feeling of purpose and unity can have immensely positive effects on a young mind and can nurture the potential of each individual (Gilman 760).
In a study done in 1992, statistics show that high school seniors who participated in extracurricular activities during their first semester had less unexcused absences and classes skipped (Finn). Also, almost every school had extracurricular activities available to students, regardless of the affluence of the school. Such activities teach students the importance of motivation and hard work, giving them goals to strive for and the ability to chart their progress as they grow and fine-tune their skills.
Extracurricular activities give students, elementary through high school level, the chance to express their individuality. By choosing a specific activity, students can meet with like-minded individuals who share similar hobbies and interests. In doing so, students can feel more comfortable and able to grow both with their peers and also on an individual level. In working with a group or team, students learn the importance of a collective effort and hard work. The realization that the student is not just responsible for his or her actions teaches a student the importance of pulling their own weight for a specific unified goal. Students who participate in extracurricular activities are statistically shown to skip class less often and have less unexcused absences. Schools find themselves having a more difficult time finding enough funds to keep up academic standings, but cutting extracurricular activities is not the most effective solution. Getting rid of such programs would be more of a hindrance of education than a helping hand.

Works Cited
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Cross Sectional and Longitudinal Findings. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 34,

No. 5. October 2005, pp. 493-505

Eccles, Jacquelynne S. Extracurricular Activities and Adolescent Development. Journal

of Social Issues, Vol 59, Issue 4. December 2003, pp. 865-889

Finn, J.D. Extracurricular Participation And Student Engagement. National Center for

Education Statistics. U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences. June

1995. March 1, 2011. < http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95741.asp>

Gilman, Rich. The relationship Between Life Satisfaction, Social Interest, and Frequency

of Extracurricular Activities Among Adolescent Students. Journal of Youth and

Adolescence, Vol. 30, No. 6. December 2001, pp. 749-767

Haensly, Patricia A. The Role of Extracurricular Activities in Education. The High

School Journal. The University of North Carolina Press.

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