BENEFITS OF AFTERSCHOOL ACTIVITIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNERS

DANILO M. ALATA

According to many studies, extracurricular activities are very important in a learner’s life. It is equally as important as their academic life. However, there is still so much pressure for high school students when it comes to attaining high grades and performing well in exams. As they say, all work and no play makes a sad day. Schools must always promote holistic development.

Realistically speaking, some parents and guardians do not understand the importance of extracurricular activities. One of the problems of teachers is convincing some parents and guardians to permit their children to participate in extracurricular activities. This is because the parents feel that afterschool activities are just distraction on their studies and these are just excuses for their children to get home late. However, many researches have proven these belief of parents to be untrue because these studies have shown that cocurricular activities complement academics and promotes holistic development. It had been proven that students who participate in after school activities have marked improvement in the grades. They have also learned to better manage their time to accommodate their after school activities. They are trained to plan their day to include both study time and co-curricular activities into their day. They will learn to maximize their time and make it worthwhile and less likely to procrastinate. They have learned to better organize their skills and use it to complete their task in school. The new skills they acquire during their extra-curricular activities such as teamwork, critical thinking and social skills become useful skills in their school life and day-to-day activities. Their self-esteem is boosted and they learn how to express themselves better. The skills they learn in their after school activities are also applied in their classroom activities thus making them improve academic performance.

Another benefit that learners acquire from co-curricular activities is the development of self-commitment. As students participate in after school activities, they develop in them a sense of commitment to whatever they are involved in. It is probably because they take part in whatever activity they are member of and they learn to commit and give their all to become their best. Aside from self-commitment, learners who participate in extra-curricular activities also develop their sense of responsibility. They learn to foster the sense of accountability in them.

Although some students’reason is for self-improvement, other students join after school activities to meet new friends and interact with many different people. Exposure to different people develops their social interaction skills and perfects their attitude as a human.

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The author is Teacher II at Northville High School, Calulut, City of San Fernando