Page 52 - Education February 2022 final_Neat

Importance of

extracurricular

activities during

pandemic

xtracurricular activities are just that, extra to the curriculum. In the case of education,
extracurricular activities can enhance daily-taught subject areas or individual interests.
EThese activities could include sports, dance, theater, crafting, speech/debate, or cooking,
to name a few. In a normal situation, pre COVID-19, all extracurricular activities for students
took place in a school environment without many restrictions, especially protocols that
involved health safety.
The presence of COVID-19 in 2020 presented huge challenges and learning curves for all
forms of education and the many extras that play a role in developing a well-rounded student.
Teachers were of course faced with a gigantic task to teach through a screen. The students
were no longer provided with one-on-one attention from the teacher, and students with
various learning needs were forced to learn one way.
The days in front of an electronic device were long for both the teacher and the student,
without any “outlets” or extracurricular activities to release the stress and anxiety created
by this new classroom environment. Virtual learning during a time of isolation in most states
forced schools to cancel all school-sponsored sports and all after school special interest clubs.
All sports fields were closed, all indoor activities such as theaters or libraries were closed,
and any activity that involved students being closer than six feet from one another were
prohibited. The temporary cancellation of extracurricular events found students missing out
on peer socialization, increasing lazy habits, and with a decline in creative energy.

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52 EDUCATION
DURING THE PANDEMIC