Friday, 31 July 2015

Survival 101: The Real World

Education, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is the “process of receiving or giving systematic instruction”. When one hears this term, it is usually related to merely academics, like sciences, maths, social sciences, languages, and the like. But in reality, getting an education should be the ability to learn not only classroom smarts, but also real-life skills that will be able to help the student once he/she takes part in the so-called “real world”.

Holistic education is a type of education wherein the student should be able to strike a balance between his/her academic life, moral character, and extra-curriculars. The main purpose of this is for the student to know that once they leave the premises of their school, one won’t be able to survive the “outside world” if he/she only focuses on classroom-based skills.

Extra-curricular activities help the students broaden their perspectives on certain things, and for them to be able to see the world outside of the classroom. They will be able to learn even more through these, and they will be able to integrate these skills into their everyday school lives, such as critical thinking, teamwork and different social skills. Extra-curricular activities also foster a sense of commitment to a purpose or a goal, and these said skills will be beneficial in later life and in the workplace.

The students will be able to meet different people and form new relationships. It is important for growing children to have a wide range of friends in order to become well-rounded individuals. They will also be introduced to many diverse groups of people.

 Through the avenue of extra-curricular activities, student will also be given different opportunities that can help them in the future, such as scholarship offerings from different colleges and universities. Not only do these schools look at academic qualifications, they also seek out students who can make a significant contribution to the university, and to the society at large as well.

These activities also help boost the student’s self-esteem, motivation, and over-all behavior as well. Because of this, they are able to improve their academic grades in the long run, thus making them have better time management skills.

But most importantly, extra-curricular activities are channels for the students to be able to discover their passion. This could open the doors to interests and talents that many students never knew they had. Because of the skills and talents that they will be able to acquire and enhance through these programs, it will be easier for them to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives as their career. They will be able to take the knowledge and experiences they garnered and be able to apply these in their future.

There are still numerous benefits that students can get from extra-curricular activities, either on an academic-level or even those that can help their personal lives. Removing this from the curriculum of the school will greatly affect the students, especially those who are actively-involved in them. The school will then only produce one-dimensional students, thus stopping the development of whole person of the student. Yes, they will be able to go through school easily, but will they be able to go out and survive the real world?

-Girl Almighty_PC2


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