Non-Academic Clubs during School Hours
It is no argument that the culture and climate of a school can impact the success of students. Across the world, teachers and administrators strive to create an environment where students feel like they belong. Matthew Younghans reflects on this in his blog post “The Steps to Creating a Positive School Culture.” Younghans says, “a positive school climate… is directly correlated to school success. When students feel safe, supported, respected, and valued in their environment, the foundation is set for them to learn and achieve their best.” His thoughtful ideas got me thinking - how can we improve our school climate?
In the blog post, Matthew Younghans says, “relationships are perhaps the most important part of establishing a school culture that is perceived as and breeds caring.” It is our responsibility to provide students the opportunity to build positive connections with their teachers and peers. School clubs and activities are a wonderful avenue to support relationship building among students. Not only do these activities/clubs encourage individual interests and hobbies, but it allows them to connect with other peers and staff members that share the same passions.
This relationship building will help students feel more connected to the school community which has many positive implications for their overall success in school.
Since I started teaching, my school has always offered clubs and extracurricular activities after school hours. Students staying after would either arrange a ride home, or ride on the abbreviated public school bus routes. I began to wonder… How many students are excluded from participating in clubs? Many students have responsibilities after school - they need to take care of a sibling, help with tasks around the house or get home to start homework, etc.. For others, their parents might not be able to plan their schedules around these activities. What can we do to make sure that we are meeting the needs of all our students? One possible solution - clubs during school hours.
Recently, I was talking to a colleague that works at a different school. Their school has time scheduled twice a week where students can participate in an extracurricular activity of their choice (ex: chess club, sports talk, SGA, book club, art class, board games, community service and so on). I was amazed! Creating the time that allows students to interact with other peers and teachers based on their interests during school is an amazing way to promote relationship building and a positive school culture for all students.
So the question is - do you think this is something that could work? Is this something that your school does? What are the considerations and implications that we need to think about? How might this impact teachers and staff? Can this have a positive impact on our school culture?
What a wonderful idea to be able to include all of the students in extracurricular activities. I have definitely heard students mention that they can't stay after school because they have to take care of younger siblings. It definitely creates a divide in students and is not equitable. Giving them time during the day to participate in these activities, allows students to meet people with similar interests and create new friendships. It would allow those students who can't stay after school to feel more connected with their school.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there will be push back from teachers and leaders as this would take away from classroom instruction time. This will create less time for teachers to teach to a standardized test. Teachers can't teach their entire curriculum when students are being given time in the day for these extracurricular activities. So until there is a mindset shift about teaching to the test, there will always be pushback on opportunities that would benefit our students social and emotional needs.
I think that this could be a great idea to implement in schools. It makes me think back to our virtual teaching schedule where we would have wellness Wednesdays. The morning would be regular instruction then the second have of the day was for check ins, time to be a kid, and fun. I think that there would be push back from many staff mainly because they have not seen it done or they feel they do not have the time. If you can show an example school that is implementing this well that will create more buy in. If you can show how important this will be for all students that will create even more buy in.
ReplyDeleteHi Ariana! Having non-academic clubs during school hours is such a lovely and yet foreign concept to me! I work at an elementary school, but all of our clubs are also held after school hours by private providers and I have thought of the inequity of that system. The clubs that are offered are all ones parents have to pay a fee to have their child attend. I always think about the children whose parents may not have the means to enroll their child in these clubs regardless of the interest. I also haven’t heard of scholarships being advertised so that those students may have an opportunity to join their peers. So the thought of clubs being held throughout the school day makes me want to take it a step further and ponder the ideas of what clubs can be held free of charge. While it does make me question when in such an academically packed day it would fit, I don’t think it would be impossible. Most classes have a non-special day, so if clubs rotated according to grade level and marking periods, it might just work! Thank you for bringing this idea to light, and sharing your and your colleague’s experiences.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! When I was in high school, we had a 90 minute block of time every Wednesday for clubs that were not academic. Every student was expected to participate. I cherished that time and it helped break up the week. Now that I am a teacher, I imagine the teachers also appreciated the mid-week change of pace.
ReplyDeleteLast year, the school I teach at tried out a "club" structure for recess for a grade level as an intervention. It worked wonders. The students were motivated and excited. They enjoyed selecting a club for the week and socializing in a different setting than the playground, which isn't everyone's favorite spot. It required a lot of staff volunteers, but it was worth it for that group. I wonder what we could organize to create similar spaces for students on a regular basis.
Wow! I wish we could find the time to do this. I have always implemented Genius Hour in my classroom where students could work on a project of their choice. Coding, writing a book, learning sign language or writing music. I have been fortunate to see so many students find their voice when they have an outlet just for them. Every child should be able to participate in a non-academic club. Students can learn so much from these!
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