Performing community service is extremely important, not just to the community, but to those who are the effort behind it. Setting a requirement for students to do this is an excellent idea, because all of the students would then gain the benefits of community service, including important life skills, such as time management and the ability to try new things.

While the argument against students being required to do community service is that they would not have time for other things that they want or need to do. What these people do not realize is that they still will have time for these things. If they do community service in addition to everything else that they do, they will have less time to do it. However, this strongly encourages the development of a life skill that is vital for success: time management. If a student does not manage their time well, they may not have time to do everything that they want to accomplish. However, once that student improves, and starts becoming a more efficient worker, they will be able to accomplish everything they want, from homework to watching telivision. With this skill, people can accomplish much more, because they suddenly have time to.

In addition to this, students will be able to provide community service in a variety of ways. This allows students to try new things, like explaining concepts to younger students for tutoring, or cleaning up litter on a road. A student who tries all of these things may discover how much they love working with people younger than them, or how much they care about the environment. Even if someone discovers how much they despise working with younger children, so be it; they can go pick up litter around town. Also, if community service becomes a requirement, then all students will be able to take hold of the opportunities presented to them, not just those who chose to do so.

Overall, requiring all students in our school to do community service is a wonderful idea, because, even though the most obvious benefit of the work is the results in the community, the student gains just as much from the work. They learn skills vital to a successful life in the future, including how to manage time, and the importance of trying new things. It would be taking away a plethora of opportunities to gain these essential skills if it were not a requirement.