Imagine having to wake up at the same time every morning, stay at the same place for seven hours, and going home only to barely have any time left to yourself. That's how you live every Monday to Friday when you attend school. The constant cycle is just as tiring as going to school itself. Now, that's not hard to believe when you've been doing it for almost your entire life, but as you get older, you become more responsible, and have to do things other than school. Jobs, sports, or picking up a younger sibling from soccer practice are all examples of things that take up time. With school being the main cause of stress for students, students having things to do outside of school, and the interference of out of school activities, I don't believe that participating in extracurriculars should be mandatory.

We've all been to school. Whether it's public, private, or online, attending school is a requirement. Sitting in classrooms for seven hours a day to learn something that you might not even use is a requirement. Going to school for a certain amount of days every year is a requirement. Participating in school established extracurriculars isn't and shouldn't be a requirement. By making students take part in them, you're only making them even more stressed than they are and should be. Sure, students will be able to meet new people or do something besides sit around in a claustrophobic classroom, but attending after school meetings and practices, on top of hours of homework every night, is what will make students dread coming to school even more than they already do. Nobody is gaining anything from this, and half of them don't even want to be at school, so what makes you think that making extracurriculars mandatory is a good idea?

There are a handful of students that enjoy the clubs and sports their school has to offer. Those who want to be a part of one choose to sign up for them because they want to. Just imagine making a dancer who takes multiple classes every day or a soccer player who has a chance of making it professional be on the yearbook team. Now, that doesn't seem right, does it? Not only are you taking away from the time that they could be practicing up to their possible career, but you're making them be a part of something that doesn't appeal or benefit them in any way. In all honesty, school offered sports and clubs aren't at all bad, but making students lose time to themselves and their devotion to a sport or activity isn't worth it.

You're in school for seven hours. In those seven hours, only about 30 minutes is designated time for you to spend with you friends. Half an hour a day isn't enough for you to catch up or resting after learning for so long. Reasons like this is why students tend to hang out together outside of school. Even if they're not, I'm pretty positive that they'd much rather do what they're doing than be at school. Making them join a club or sport will guarantee every day practices and meetings, which will lead to less time for students to spend to unwind. I'm sure making students even more miserable than they already are isn't worth the good school rating.

School is merely a place for learning and minimal interaction with your friends. You're there to learn for seven hours, come home to more work, and then repeat the tiring cycle over again the next day. It might not be the best thing in the world, but you become used to it after so many years of school. School shouldn't be a place where you're required to be a part of a club or team just because your principal makes you. School is a stressful environment, students have a life out of school, and after school activities shouldn't have to be skipped multiple times a week because of something your school is making you do for absolutely no reason. There is no benefit to this change, which is why it shouldn't be something that is mandatory for students.