Extracurricular Activities

 

When I think of a vibrant learning space, I think about learning that extends outside the classroom.  This could be sports, the arts, and other types of clubs.  Often, when I have former students visit me they reminisce about the activities they took part in and the teachers they connected with.  When teachers are also part of the extracurricular, students see their teachers in a different environment and have the opportunity to make a connection. 

During the height of the pandemic, my school cancelled extracurricular activities.  Students were in class for a little more than an hour a day.  They only came for this one class period; otherwise, they had to be out of the school.  In retrospect, we really see how detrimental this was for students.  While learning is important at school, there are so many other domains such as social connection that keep them healthy and happy.  As a counsellor, I had many students come and see me during this time talking about how much they miss sports, or dance, or the unstructured time with their friends at school.  They spoke a lot about feeling more anxious or sad and feeling lost.  Gonser (2011) found that while the adults thought that meeting the needs of students during the pandemic meant resources like more counsellors, a survey found that students identified more opportunities to connect with their fellow students as what would help them the most. 

Extracurriculars are important because they give a place for students to feel like they belong by engaging in activities with like-minded students.  In these activities they learn more about themselves and are able to increase their confidence.  This confidence carries over into the classroom. 

 

Reference

Gonser, S. (2021, June). The Enduring Importance of Extracurriculars. Edutopia. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/enduring-importance-extracurriculars/

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