Young People Ask . . .

What About After-School Activities?

“PLAYING ball is fun. We had practice every day from three to six. I felt really good when I was playing softball.” Cathy, a ninth grader in New York, bubbled over with a gleam in her eyes as she spoke about her after-school activities.

The reasons young people join after-school clubs vary. Some seek a career in professional sports. Others simply want to make friends or learn new hobbies. “I was into just about every club there was,” recalls one boy in Baltimore. “It made me feel good to work with things I like. I was in an automotive club because I enjoy working with cars. I like computers, so I joined that club. I like audio, so I joined that club.”

Yes, many young people find that after-school activities give them a sense of accomplishment. Students seeking higher education are particularly being encouraged to participate in after-school activities. The Los Angeles Times reports: “Some colleges and universities already take extracurricular performance and the other indicators into account when selecting freshman classes.”

If these and other reasons for joining school clubs and teams sound valid to you, you might wonder, ‘Shouldn’t I, too, participate?’

After-School Activities and Your Grades

The document High School & Beyond Tabulationa shows that 88.47 percent of the high school seniors polled participated in some form of extracurricular activities. But nothing comes without a price tag.

For example, the Los Angeles Board of Education adopted a rule that students wanting to join in after-school activities had to maintain a C average in grades and could have no flunks. The result? Twenty percent of the students later were disqualified from participation. The Texas Legislature similarly passed a “No Pass, No Play” rule. Indeed, quite a few local school boards are toughening the standard for participation in extracurricular activities. Academics must come first, they say. Why such a trend?

A U.S. federal government official​—formerly a teacher himself—​told Awake!: “Probably the students spend more time with extracurricular activities than with schoolwork, making it hard to maintain grades.”

Yes, it is not easy to maintain balance when it comes to extracurricular activities. Cathy, mentioned earlier, is not on the softball team this year. Asked why not, she answered: “After the practice, I was too tired to do anything else. My schoolwork was affected. So I did not sign up this year.”

Just think: What time do you get off from school? Now add the time you are to spend on your homework. Add another hour for dinner. Can you really do your homework, participate in after-school activities, and still have sufficient time for sleep and recreation?

The Family Handbook of Adolescence notes: “Devotion to the practice necessary to succeed [at school sports] may exclude other experiences and accomplishments.” Taking this into consideration, it is good to ask yourself: Will I be too tired to do anything else after practice? How will the schedule for extracurricular activities affect the time spent with my family and in other pursuits? How do my parents feel?

Wise King Solomon recommended: “Is it honey that you have found? Eat what is sufficient for you, that you may not take too much of it and have to vomit it up.” (Proverbs 25:16) Just as eating too much honey will cause nausea, too much of any pleasurable activity can have adverse effects.

Spiritual Dangers

You may not realize that your extracurricular activities are out of hand until you are already bogged down. And when this happens, more than your grades can be affected! Says one Christian man looking back on his teenage years: “I thought I could harmonize three activities: schoolwork, practice with the track team, and spiritual activities. But the spiritual aspect of my life was sacrificed whenever the three conflicted.”

Young Themon, who was involved in two sports teams at school, agrees: “I could not attend meetings at the [Kingdom] Hall [for spiritual instruction] because Tuesday we were out of town, Thursday we were out of town, Saturday we were out of town and would not get back until two o’clock in the morning.”

Both young men regret that they slighted the importance of spiritual instructions. Though “bodily training is beneficial for a little,” it is vital to remember that “godly devotion is beneficial for all things.” (1 Timothy 4:8) Keeping in mind the limited value of physical exercise and the superlative benefit of godly devotion will help you to make balanced decisions when it comes to after-school activities. The principle applies to academic-type clubs as well. Nothing can beat the benefit of godly devotion.

The spiritual danger is not restricted to the time-consuming element of the extracurricular activities. Think, too, of the moral dangers. Would you be associating with wholesome friends who will be a good moral influence? What would be the subject of conversation? Could the influence of teammates or members of a club have an adverse effect on you?

A spoonful of vinegar, which would not change the taste of a bucket of water, could change the taste of a glass of water. The same can be true of the influence of morally questionable students. Though their influence may not be felt by just being in the same school or classroom with them, their influence would be concentrated in an athletic team or a club where the scope of associates is limited and you deal with them on a social level.

Think of Samuel in ancient Israel. He had the privilege of serving at the tabernacle. Also serving at the tabernacle were the notorious sons of Eli, the high priest. Samuel could have banded together with them, making bad use of his after-service hours. But the Bible, after mentioning the misconduct of Eli’s sons and their attendants, says, “And Samuel was ministering before Jehovah.” Apparently, he did not get involved in the after-work activities of Eli’s sons. This resulted in Samuel’s “growing bigger and more likable both from Jehovah’s standpoint and from that of men.”​—1 Samuel 2:12-18, 21, 26.

Like Samuel, you can make good use of your time. How about using your time to help others spiritually? Interestingly, some young ones among Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan start to make the ministry their career while they are still in school. They buy out their time before and after school to help others to know the Creator. (Colossians 4:5) Surely you would not want to miss the joy and blessings that come from such out-of-school activities.

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 17]

Balancing after-school activities with your homework may not be easy