As state testing and final exams approach, the need for students to be in school grows, but the number of time-consuming extracurricular activities students participate in increases. Students working in these activities benefit themselves, their teams and represent the school in a positive way. If students work diligently and take simple steps to stay caught up, their grades do not have to suffer as a result.
Many students are in multiple sports and activities such as track, softball, baseball, tennis, golf, powerlifting, academic UIL, one -act play and FFA-related activities. All of these require students to miss some amount of school and acquire makeup work. When students know in advance that they will be absent, they need to communicate with teachers about what instruction they will miss and ask other students to send notes or work they did.
Students involved in athletics often feel practices limit the amount of time they have for homework and studying after school. Although situations sometimes arise that prevent students from completing homework at home, it is more often due to a lack of time management. In reality, many students waste a large amount of time at home on their phones or doing things less important than schoolwork, and other opportunities exist throughout the day to work during free time in other classes, such as PrimeTime.
Students and staff involved in extracurricular activities have noticeably busier schedules. When students miss school to participate in school activities, they should work to get caught up with schoolwork. Avoiding falling behind in classes will make the spring semester more enjoyable for students and teachers and continue to promote involvement in extracurricular activities.