Health & Fitness
Teens and High School: Balancing Academic Rigor With Extracurricular Activities
With the onset of spring, parents and their teens will be making choices regarding academic class schedules for next year. The importance of balance should be part of that decision making process.
Maintaining a handle on this year’s academic classes while simultaneously trying to plan for next year’s can be quite the challenge. As spring approaches, you and your teen will soon be faced with finalizing classes for next semester.
If your teen is struggling with honors classes, is it wise to enroll next year in AP?
If your teen is breezing through honors classes, should you push for AP next year?
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If your teen is having a difficult time with classes this year, is it OK to request a repeat for next year?
The choices you’ll soon be asked to make and the decisions you come to, will have a lasting impact. UC requirements, family changes, health challenges, or reality, are but a few things you may need to consider. Whatever choices you make, do not make them in a vacuum. Talk with teachers, counselors, other family members, and especially your teen.
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Along with short term benefits, take into account long term consequences. This is especially true for seniors who will be in college next semester. Making the wrong choice in class selection can add an extra year and thousands of dollars to that four-year-degree.
Whether for high school or first semester of college, consider selecting classes and extra curricular activities based on building not only a strong foundation of academics, but also on building a strong foundation beyond academics. There’s more to a teenager’s life than academics. Art, music, sports, hands on activities, competitions, traveling, and you fill in the blank – all add balance to the life of a high school student. The important element is balance.
What do you think? Post a comment and add to the conversation. If you had it to do over again, how would you balance academic rigor with extra curricular activities? Would you change anything? What worked for you?
