As the first day of school hits in August, seniors flood into the parking lot with childish backpacks, excited for the year to come. The days progress and so do the challenging classes, many of which seniors signed up for solely for a GPA boost. When the real work finally catches up to them, seniors become completely drained. By the time second semester hits, it is hard for seniors to find motivation. After midterms, when college applications are in and decile rankings are final, the mild senioritis symptoms turn into a full-fledged epidemic.
Senioritis is a shared experience for 17- and 18-year-olds across the country, in which the motivation and overall academic performance of students continuously decreases. While some teachers incentivise their upperclassmen to continue their efforts for a few more months through games and engaging lessons, other teachers give up on trying to entertain the lost. Seniors respect the efforts their teachers are putting in to keep them engaged, but it is nearly impossible to keep focus on things like Calculus and history when graduation is so close. Honestly, EdPuzzles in science classes and novels in English oftentimes feel like busy work for many, as the grades received won’t be going anywhere once second semester hits.
Many students are criticized for dropping grades and impressive procrastination tactics, which get worse as the year goes on. But, people need to understand that this type of break is necessary and warranted for seniors. It serves as a celebratory period, honoring the hundreds of hours of hard work completed in the past four years, as well as a time to enjoy the present before having to rush into future planning. Seniors ease up on their grades, and instead can reach out to potential future roommates and enjoy the time that they have left with their friends and families. One of the biggest motivators throughout their high school career was getting good grades to send to colleges, and now that this is finished, it feels as though there are more important things to focus on.
From the moment high school begins, maany students have thought about their futures. They spend years striving for impressive extracurriculars and deciding where they want to go after high school. Many students chose to pursue higher education by going to college, where they spend more time preparing for jobs and internships.
After high school, we are thrown into the real world. There is no more relaxation period, no more break. Life continues to move, whether or not you are ready to keep up with it. The second half of senior year is possibly the only time where things slow down and this constant pressure is removed, even just for what feels like a small moment in time, before life speeds back up again and there are no more breaks.
Once grades are final, futures are planned and final goodbyes have been prepared, it is hard to focus on anything related to high school. Teachers need to cut their seniors some slack and allow them to enjoy this well-earned and much-needed time in which they can slow down, ease up on their rigorous school work and take a victory lap.
