EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

We found a lot of information showing how important extra-curricular activities are for successful students. Most of the researchers said that the break from studying refreshes a student so they can concentrate when they return to their homework. Most people agree that coming home from school and starting your homework right away is not a good habit. Taking a break to get something to eat and getting some physical exercise helps you pay attention when you do start to study. 

Some people think students who are involved in after school clubs or sports have better time management because they know they can't keep their grades up and do sports unless they use their time wisely. When you are involved in extra-curricular activities, it is important that you have a priority system. Grades should be the first priority and then you should rate all the other activities. Both of our families have a system that works something like this:

Priorities

Grades (homework, attendance)
Church activities
Girl Scouts
Community Service
Sports

Our parents do not allow us to quit something after we have made a commitment to a team, a club, or a group of people. We have learned to think things out before we ask to join something.

We think it is important to be involved in extra-curricular activities, but it's also important to make time for family and friends. Sometimes our lives get so busy we don't have time for our family or our friends. Sometimes it would be nice to watch television for an afternoon. But we think it is better to be involved than to sit around all the time playing video games, watching television, or just hanging around on the streets. The main reason to join a club or team is that it gives you something better to do than staring at the wall, or napping all afternoon. People get involved are less likely to become addicted to bad habits, such as smoking or drinking.

There were two sites that we found to be the most interesting. Iowa State University's website has a study done by Mary Rombokas which supports the idea that active students are successful students. The National Center for Educational Statistics states on their website:

"Almost every high school in the U.S. offers some type of extracurricular activity, such as music, academic clubs, and sports. These activities offer opportunities for students to learn the values of teamwork, individual and group responsibility, physical strength and endurance, competition, diversity, and a sense of culture and community. Extracurricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context, and are thus considered part of a well-rounded education. Recent research suggests that participation in extracurricular activities may increase students' sense of engagement or attachment to their school, and thereby decrease the likelihood of school failure and dropping out." (Lamborn et al, 1992; Finn, 1993)

  • Decide how many days a week you can work without allowing your schoolwork to get behind.

  • Join an extra curricular activity that would be fun for you.

  • If you want to get involved listen to announcements  for school activities like student council, clubs or sports. Some schools have bulletin boards that have the activities listed.

  • Make sure that school work comes before the activities.

National Center for Education Statistics

ATTENDANCE

 ATTITUDE
EXTRA-CURRICULAR HOMEWORK
LIFELONG GUIDELINES and LIFESKILLS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
ORGANIZATION AVOIDING PEER PRESSURE
RULES SLEEP
STUDYING TEST TAKING
ALL ABOUT AMBER ALL ABOUT KIRSTEN

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