Pompt:

What is the theoretical purpose to providing extracurricular opportunities?  What are benefits and costs associated with these opportunities?  What kinds of needs are met through these experiences?

Response:

I guess I should start by saying track meets are near and dear to my heart being a runner. I remember all of my middle school and high school meets and all the fun my teammates and I had on those, sometimes long, evenings. So it seemed a natural choice to attend a track meet after school to watch the Shortridge team.

Interestingly enough,  Shortridge’s track is under construction so they have to travel to other locations to practice, or they run around the school. But, the importance is not necessarily in how fast the children can run, it’s more about what extracurricular activities provide.

In my own experience, in addition to meeting the physical needs of children we have talked about, I feel that extracurricular activities provide kids a safe and fun forum for socializing and teaching important life skills. Because activities outside of school can take up so much time and often make demands on schedules, kids learn proper time management skills in addition to discipline and the importance of perseverance.  I think it’s important for people to remember that not all life lessons are learned in the classroom, and this is certainly true of the lessons you learn while participating in extracurricular functions. This idea is certainly reflected in some of the theorists we have discussed in ED 241. In this course, we have considered the idea that learning takes place all over and many theorists acknowledged the idea the best types of lessons are those which are taught in the context of real life (ideas of Dewey, and Montessori).

Now the wonderful thing about school organized extracurriculars is they are still in coordination with the school. So not only do students get to learn these lessons outside of the traditional school environment, but their basic needs for comfort and security are still being met. Students can organize with adult leaders in a different type of relationship than teacher to student. Often times these relationships shift to a more mentor situation, which is wonderful for the demographic group in Shortridge: a group who may often be lacking a stable adult role model.

But things are not always fun and games. As unfortunate as it may be, it costs money to provide equipment, water bottles, and uniforms. The bottom line is fast approaching and it is beginning to look more and more schools will have to cutback.  This is perhaps why the at Shortridge has taken so long to complete as well as why the school offers very limited funded activities.

But despite the conflict money may inflict, through extracurricular activities, teachers and students are accomplishing a variety of things. Teachers learn about their students through how they interact with their peers during unstructured time, while students learn about themselves, others, and how to be on a team (INTASC 5). In watching how this meet, I was reminded of my middle school self and the sense of pride and happiness that characterized my time in sports. I know I both lost and found my identity in competing, and that is an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life, as will many other students like those I watched competing on Wednesday night.

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