Should students be required to attend extracurricular activities? Would this really help students and provide enjoyable experiences? While there are some good things that could come out of requiring students to participate in extracurricular activities, there are some downsides as well. Personally, I disagree with the decision to require all students to participate in the activities because some students may not enjoy doing extracurricular activities, or simply might not have any time to attend them. Extracurricular activities do give some students the opportunity to expand their knowledge in certain areas, spend time with friends, and maybe help them find their passion in life, but other students may not be as positively impacted in the same way as others.

So, there are the students who don't enjoy participating in extracurricular activities. There are many students who don't prefer to do these activities because perhaps they are socially awkward and would rather avoid social interaction. Maybe there just isn't an activity that is available to them that is of interest. Another reason is that they might enjoy doing something else that doesn't qualify as an extracurricular activity. It isn't right that the principal is forcing students to do something they don't want to do. Students should be able to choose what they want to do and how to spend their time. Some may learn how to enjoy an activity after joining one they were unsure about, but others may end up not enjoying the experience at all, therefore, giving them something not to look forward to that was forced upon them with the intention of a positive impact.

Other students may not like the decision that requires them to attend extracurricular activities, specifically activities held after school hours, because they already have plans, and being forced to attend activities would break in to their already-planned schedules. Scheduled plans such as family events; religious events; sporting events that don't directly involve the student; work hours for a job; or perhaps just time to finish schoolwork. All of these examples are things that students may not feel obligated to cancel, just so they can attend an activity that was forced upon them. There will obviously be some times when students are allowed to miss out on the extracurricular activities they are supposed to attend, but why give students a sense of worry about not being able to go to an event that they might feel very obligated to attend?

Once again, I disagree with the decision to force students for participate in extra curricular activities because some may not enjoy doing them, and others may not have time to attend them. The fact is, is that the principal should not be forcing students to attend extracurricular activities. The principal should be giving every student the opportunity to find one and attend one if they wish to, but never have it be mandatory that they do. Many students do enjoy attending extracurricular activities, but it is important to consider the few who don't when making a decision like this.