It is two forty-nine, and Generic_Name has to wait only one more minute for the school day to end. He was looking forward to having his first baseball practice of the fall later that night. The bell rings, and Generic_Name begins to cheer loudly.

"Generic_Name are you excited for science club today?" said Generic_Name, Generic_Name's best friend. Generic_Name froze, and had remembered he had science club for two hours after school today. Generic_Name began panicking, and started asking himself questions.

"Am I going to be late for practice?" "Will I have time to finish my homework?" Then Mr. Generic_Name, Generic_Name's last block teacher, began to pack up his things, getting ready to leave work for the day, before Generic_Name said, "Mr. Generic_Name, why are you leaving, isn't there yearbook club today?" Mr. Generic_Name let out a disappointed sigh and began to unpack all of his things. This is how life would be if all students had to participate in after school activities. I disagree that all students must participate in at least one extracurricular activity because it won't provide students the time necessary to complete their homework to the best of their abilities, many students participate in sports outside of school, and teachers will have to spend more time after school directing clubs.

The first reason I disagree that all students must participate in extracurricular activities is because it won't provide students the time necessary to complete their homework to the best of their abilities. If a student participated in a club that extended their school day by two hours, that is two hours fewer that the student has to complete homework. There are some days where a student will receive homework for every subject, and if my principal took away my time do my homework, I would be furious. Also, when students don't have the time necessary to complete assignments to the best of their abilities, they race through it to complete it and risk earning a failing grade. If a student feels stressed and overwhelmed by their homework because of an after school club, they should have the choice to not participate in the club. Homework is practice for later assessments, and if the student does not have time to practice and prepare for the quiz or test, they will never learn what they need to and will not succeed on the assessment.

The second reason I disagree that all students must participate in extracurricular activities is because many students participate in sports outside of school. Some students play at a level where they are practicing several times a week. For example, if a middle school student has baseball practice at six o'clock, and their after school club ends at five, not only will they have to rush from school to practice, but may be at risk of being late. Coaches of competitive teams find it frustrating if their players are late to practice. A student can also become very exhausted from a long day at school and may not perform well with an exhausted body and mind. An athlete must also be dedicated to their sport outside of practices, which means working to get better after school. Student-athletes have to find a balance between their schoolwork and their sports, and this can be difficult if a club is being thrown into the mix as well.

The final reason I disagree that all students must participate in extracurricular activities is because teachers will have to spend more time after school directing clubs. Teachers spend hours a day grading papers outside of school, and some still struggle with completing this. The last thing a teacher wants to do is have a few hours of grading papers cut off their day so they can direct a club. If a teacher has an hour and a half less to grade papers, then that is a few hundred assignments left without a grade. These papers begin to add up, and before they know it, they have 5 stacks of assignments that are being graded at two in the morning. Not only will the teacher have to supervise the club, but they will also be tasked with planning what the members are doing at every meeting, on top of planning for what they are teaching their students throughout the normal day. A teacher is still a human, and can become stressed out by all this extra work they have to complete. All of this extra work for them takes away the valuable time they can be spending with their beloved families.

The bell rings, and Generic_Name goes soaring out of the door, to his locker, outside to the bike rack, and begins his peaceful bike ride home. He can not wait for baseball practice and to see all of his teammates again. As Generic_Name arrives home, his mom calls to him, "I made you a smoothie, it's on the counter." Generic_Name sits down and opens up his laptop, and begins working on his history presentation. When he was finished, he was sure that it was the best work he had ever done. A couple of hours later, Generic_Name arrives at practice, and is so enthusiastic to see his teammates. Generic_Name was thrilled to be back on the ball field! This is how a student would feel without the stress of having to participate in a club. They have time to actually perform well on homework and projects, and can enjoy their life as a kid. I disagree that all students must participate in at least one extracurricular activity because it won't provide students the time necessary to complete their homework to the best of their abilities, many students participate in sports outside of school, and teachers will have to spend more time after school directing clubs.