When it comes to education, a good majority of people just want to get in and out. School should be done as quickly as possible, they contend, and once it’s over it’s over they never have to think about it again.

When a student throws in extra-curricular activities, however, that changes. All of a sudden, he or she has something connected to school that one might actually enjoy and care about.

That is why I strongly implore students to try out some extra-curricular activities.

I used to be the kind of kid that dreaded that word. “Extra?” No thank you. I have enough already. “Curricular?” Now you really lost me.

That all changed for me in my junior year of high school. That was when I started theatre. It all started out as a class, but my peers begged me to try for a part in a play, so I gave in. It was a start to a brand new student.

It may seem counterintuitive for a student who is already struggling to take on something else, but think about it this way. Most students who are struggling are having a hard time with a lack of motivation.

If a student is struggling then he or she probably isn’t spending every waking hour on school; if that was the case, then the student wouldn’t be in that position in the first place.

If said student was to do something “extra” that was especially enjoyable instead of sitting around collecting more homework, it might do a few of the things that it did for me.

First it boosts motivation. The simple act of doing something rather than nothing at all will build motivation.

Second, it will make a person care. If a student starts caring about this one thing. then he or she will have a reason to keep good grades as a lot of extra-curricular activities require a minimum grade point average.

Third, it will build character. A lot of extra-curricular activities will make one push himself or herself, and when a person gets used to applying a little more to an activity, he or she will get better at it and soon will be able to apply it to everyday life.

Lastly, it makes us happier. A big reason for someone to be unmotivated or lazy is just general unhappiness, and when a person is happy, he or she  will naturally be more productive.

Extra-curricular activities, whether formal like Phi Theta Kappa or basketball, or informal like a board game group or Bible study, add to the investment of a student to his or her education. And it’s an investment that pays great dividends.