Senioritis is a contagious bug that infects students worldwide; luckily, it’s a lot less dangerous than COVID-19. As described by the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, senioritis is “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.” This affects many students during senior year. The main issue with senioritis is that it can affect future work ethic and can make the transition into college more difficult.
Senioritis is influenced by a multitude of aspects, with one of them being boredom. School work mainly repeats the same lessons over and over again, which makes it hard for kids to find motivation to continue the work after a while. Senior Skylar Peterson agreed with this sentiment.
“I am months away from living on my own and I am still filling out the same worksheets since I started school,” Peterson said. “There are some times where I feel that I am learning something valuable, but, for the most part, I feel like I have done this before.”
By senior year, many students are simply ‘done’ with school. They have been doing the same thing for so long, while they often don’t have a choice in what they are doing during class time. Students, during their time as students in elementary, middle, and high school, have very limited choices in terms of a change of scenery.
The best thing schools can do is offer as many choices as possible. By giving the students a wide variety of classes they are able to enroll in, it would increase the engagement the student feels toward the subject. Offering more choices can also help them develop skills and interest in the field of study they wish to pursue. Senior Joey Monasterio had similar feelings towards class options.
“Senioritis actually isn’t bad for the classes I like, and if we had a way to have more options for classes, I think we should do it,” Monasterio said. “ I feel like I have taken the same classes over and over again.”
Students who feel as if they are done with school should try to engage themselves more in class, adopting the role of a “college-student-in-training.” Students who develop a lack of motivation senior year and plan to go to college face a huge uphill battle to redevelop good student habits. We all understand how hard it can be to get back into the swing of things after summer, so by continuing to academically challenge one’s self, these academic tendencies will be preserved. Senior Taylor Chynoweth elaborated upon this idea.
“It is hard, because I know for college I need to be ready to work,” said Chynoweth. “But at the same time, I am trying not to burn myself out.”
This doesn’t mean every student should load up classes senior year, but by finding a middle ground where you stay academically engaged while also making sure the workload is manageable, students will have a secure path to a successful future.
This engagement in school work is especially essential during quarantine. Bruins are expected to complete school work in an efficient fashion and be able to understand the concepts being taught through distance learning. With this expectation, there is little leniency towards those suffering from lack of motivation caused by senioritis.
However, many complications and difficulties have arisen due to the Coronavirus. In response, the Nevada Joint Union High School District has made modifications to the way this school year will be graded in order to alleviate the pressure of school work during these difficult times.
“Distance Learning will never replace face to face instruction and inherently presents issues of equitability,” stated the FAQ document regarding Pass/No Pass Grading released by the district. “Families continue to face adversity surrounding reliable internet access, household work schedules, employment and food insecurities, and other COVID-19 lifestyle impacts … This temporary modification addresses the innate challenges of distance learning, alleviates academic pressure on students, and maintains our commitment to cover and deliver instruction so that each child is academically prepared for next school year.”
With this change to Pass/No Pass grading, students could be more susceptible to the effects of senioritis due to the leniency in grading.
With freedom and responsibility on the horizon, students find it difficult to engage in what is happening right in front of them. Focusing on the present will help them stay on top of school and focus on the positive. For the seniors next year, try to enjoy the social aspect of school when you get it back. You are lucky to have your friends with you at school. There aren’t many jobs in life where you get to spend your day with all your friends.
