Paddle tennis, judo, painting, music… At Casvi International American School, extracurricular activities have always been the moment that every student has been waiting for. And it is no wonder. With a wide range of activities, students have always been able to choose the perfect counterpart for their education. For this reason, Casvi International American School has the best and most modern facilities to carry them out.
The presence of this activities goes back a long time. Since 1970s, extracurricular activities have played an essential role in the education of students from all over the world. These activities have become a great part of every student’s daily life. According to the National Institute of Quality and Evaluation, more than 70% of primary school students and more than 60% of secondary school students engage in some after-school activity.
The purpose of these activities is not only the development of children’s capacities. The goal is to use the students’ free time with an educational character that increase their social and cultural skills and sports interests. Thus, these practices has benefits to the health and personality of the students.
But, are extracurriculars the same all over the world? At Casvi International American School we are committed to an education based on the International Baccalaureate program. We seek to educate internationally minded people who, aware of the condition that unites them as human beings and the responsibility they share to care for the planet, contribute to creating a better and more peaceful world. For this reason, no one better than our teachers to talk about how these types of activities are in their countries and what benefits they bring to our students.
From rugby teams to chess clubs, in the United States the extracurricular activities are very varied and always put in value the skills and aptitudes that each student has. The most popular of all is sports. “Students sign up for a team and automatically represent their school. This has great benefits for them, since this type of practice teaches different values such as respect and perseverance,” afirms Ms. Nicole Pecoraro, Mathematics teacher at Casvi International American School.
However, our Chinese teacher Shao Chen Cheng tells us that in Taiwan the culture of extracurricular activities is very different from here. “In Taiwan, the students do not have so many options, nor a variety of activities. In my country, extracurricular activities, beyond being a complementary activity, are an opportunity for children to obtain greater knowledge of different subjects, such as English or Mathematics,” says Mr. Cheng. In Taiwan, is the families themselves who choose which extracurricular activities their children should study to ensure a better future. Even so, in this small island state in eastern China, badminton and ping-pong are among their favourite activities.
Nevertheless, given the enormous amount of information we have nowadays, how do we know if we are choosing the right extracurricular activities for our children? Very simple, knowing in detail their likes, personality, and enhancing their skills are some of the tips that our Middle and High School students’ Mathematics teacher, Ms. Nicole Pecoraro, tells us. All this tips will help them to acquire the multiple benefits that the practice of these activities offers:
- Socialization
- Creativity
- Team work
- Organizational capacity
- Development of skills
- Improvement of physical and emotional health
- Entertainment and stimulation
Given the lack of extracurricular activities in this atypical school year, where the health and safety of all is the most important thing, our students at Casvi International American School take advantage of their time by carrying out other activities within the school. One of them, for example, in the library, where surrounded by books they learn the details of prehistory.
