Achieving the Balance

Don’t you want to have fun and be on top of your academic career in high school? Colleges and universities do want a well-rounded student for their campuses. Teachers should consider extending due dates or giving less homework. Ordinary students want to be successful in their academics and show their personality or passion for hobbies. Mr. Avila, my pre-calculus teacher, has a system which allows students to be involved in both academics and their outside hobbies. You are getting ready to go to a four-year college, and you need to start managing your time so you can get stuff done and maintain the other activities you may have outside class.

Being involved in extracurricular activities leads to a well-rounded student. Students have hobbies, for example, band, dance, football, tennis, volleyball, softball, or clubs such as math club, anime club, art club and others. The activities take time for the student who wants to be dedicated to their activities they enjoy. For example, dance takes practice to get a routine the right way. Also, band takes practice at least two times a week for at least 2-3 hours during the school since band has field shows, concert, school performances, and festivals. Having a strategy like Mr. Avila in which he gives homework on Monday which is due on Wednesday and homework on Wednesday which is due on Friday. This benefits the students since they can try doing the homework and develop questions or improvement in writing by spending more time with the homework.

Community service also shows character of a student. A student can either go help at a retirement home, volunteer in an event, or help out a local charity event. At the end of the school day, students have multiple assignments from their classes, and then they wish to do community service or they have to go to a club meeting. What do they do now? Stay up all night? They need the hours of sleep so they can cooperate throughout the week. A situation similar to volunteering at an event can be possible with extended due dates or less homework. The student will gain work or volunteering experience, complete their homework on time, and do a better job on it.

The honor classes and AP classes students take lead them to a more strong college application. By taking the classes you can be more prepared for college. Extended due dates for homework for students who decide to take honor and AP classes can lead them to managing their time by making a calendar of assignments and leaving  procrastination behind. This prepares them for the future. Each of the classes a student decides to take, from AP courses, like AP calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, Spanish or English, give a certain assignment and expect it to be done the next day. Many teachers have a specific system they follow and they are strict on their expectations.

If a student takes time to do a little the first day, for example, English, a draft the first day and go over it again, it can be more helpful and beneficial to the student. In the end, you have a better outcome. For example, Mr. Avila has noticed students turn in their homework more frequently, and he states it gives them time to develop any questions.

For example, in English class most of the time, students lie or make up ideas in their essay or analysis because they want to get it in before the short deadline. They get hideous grades because they do not have enough time to complete it correctly.

Michelle Flores, a Pomona High School student has an opinion on the topic to extend the deadline of homework. She states, “There are students that are gong to take advantage of it and others will still do it at the last minute.” Flores also states it can help students, “in taking their time on writing papers and gathering out thoughts to write an analysis or an essay and rewrite,” and for history students, “can go back and reread the chapter and so the student can understand the material well and the teachers can be fair and give a test.”

By performing a system similar to Mr. Avila, teachers can get better results on the AP exams or any other final. Students will have the time to get their writing done correctly with more revision, understand the material well, develop questions, and have time to do extracurricular activities. This will have longer effects in the students’ near future. They have to learn to manage their time which will be expected in college with classes, bills, part-time jobs, and career meetings.

-Zenia Gante