Dear TEACHER_NAME.

I realize that you are deciding whether or not to require kids to do community service. To tell you the truth, I don't believe that it should be forced on us.

Many kids have extra-curricular activities that might make it hard to make time for community service, i. e. sports and clubs. They would need to work around those schedules, as well as leave some time to do homework. I know that many of them have a hard enough time with that as it is. Kids should want to do community service, not be forced to.

If kids have no time for homework, their grades will drop, making our school's grading curve go all over the place. I know people with at least two hours of homework per night, and I don't know how they would be able to stay in their AP classes and get a good GPA if they have no time for homework of studying because they are cleaning up trash on the side of a highway.

We could make it an extra-credit type of thing. Maybe make a club that goes around cleaning up playgrounds or helping out at a nursing home. Just do not make it required that kids do community service.

Community service is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong. It builds character and makes our town a better place to live. But helping the environment and helping out at a soup kitchen should be someone's own choice, they shouldn't be forced to do it.

In conclusion, kids need the freedom to set their priorities. Some will chose sports. Some will choose academics. And some will chose to just sit in front of the TV and do nothing at all. But you cannot force kids to override those priorities to do community service. You shouldn't require kids to do community service.