Great literature transcends time because of its inherent qualities: the author has a clear purpose, the author achieves that purpose, and the purpose is a worthwhile one.
Tuesday
Senioritis
Comment on whether or not you think seniors have earned the right to take a break after nearly 13 years of formal education. Be creative; be clever... and above all be honest.
I don't think that "earned" is the correct word to use. If senioritis was something that was earned, then those that have done the best would receive the most breaks. It is the opposite in our situation.
The students that have had senioritis for most of high school are the ones that continue to reap the benefits. Their classes all begin to die down, while the many AP classes still bombard some seniors with work.
I think we all deserve a break because there is no more pressure on us to succeed. It is just the way that the system works. Our grades are based on only the first two quarters, and beyond that, colleges are very lenient.
The question is, when does senioritis end? What if we all end up at college and cannot gain back our work ethic until it is too late?
Obviously, we all deserve this break. I mean, after thirteen years of work adults are allowed to slack off and not do their work for a couple months, right? To say that our hard work and true dedication shouldn’t be rewarded with a free grade in each class and permission to abandon school is, well, it’s simply ludicrous.
This senioritis is well earned. Clearly, students who have exhibited a concern for learning and have demonstrated a strong work ethic should be given the right to relinquish their principles. Everyone is permitted to be a little savage and crazy with ultimate freedom once in a while, aren’t they? I’m also confident us seniors will be spending our newly founded freedom doing something progressive; not going out late or partying or doing something unpleasant like that. I know the first thing I’m going to do this summer is sign up for more learning opportunities!
Since my moral code wasn’t built into me over the years, I know my senioritis is waiting for me come the turn of the season. It’ll be easy to blow off AP work and not show up to class anymore, especially Spanish. I hate Spanish.
But, in all seriousness, this senioritis entitlement is just like retirement. For adults, they can slave away laboriously for 50 or so years and then live down in Florida receiving social security. For our breed of seniors, we can do remedial work for a bit under 13 years, occasionally throwing in an actual good assignment, and then quit right before the finish line. It’s awesome.
It's difficult to say that seniors "earn" the right to senioritis and the break that comes with it. Obviously, not all seniors have worked as hard as their peers, yet each feels that they have earned a break from the massive (or minimal) amount of work that they've taken on.
And as Chris points out, those who have done the best are then placed in AP classes, which can continue to pour substantial amounts of work into the student's lap long after regular classes have given up on teaching seniors who are indifferent to work.
Personally, I have absolutely no sense of senioritis. I don't think it makes sense to get excited at the prospect of not doing work. As students we will continue to have work in college, but it will be more of our responsibility to complete it, and we won't have parents breathing down our necks to get it done. To adapt to a lack of work now would only be detrimental later.
Senioritis is really just an excuse for procrastinators and underachievers to put in less effort.
I don't think seniors have earned any right really. Throughout our school career we have had the choice to do our school work or not. No one forced us to do our homework, it was all out choice, so what right have we earned? There is no right to earn. I feel however that now that most of us have been accepted into college, that busy work such as pointless homework assignments are now even less appealing to do than they were. Why do work they we feel is pointless and won't expand out minds? That's the "senioritis" I know I'm experience. Although I don't feel those assignments are important, that doesn't mean I'm going to slack off. I still feel I should do assignments and work I feel are meaningful, such as the english journals which help expand my thoughts and learn new things about myself. If I felt seniors earned the right to take a break I wouldn't listen in any class, but I still am willing to learn. That is why I still like to participate in class and ask questions. That is one of the reasons why I love our english class. We use class discussion to have meaningful conversation about life, and to learn more about our selfs.
I do not think that seniors have necessarily “earned” the right to take a break after thirteen years of school. We have worked hard and studied for thirteen years, gaining new knowledge and expanding our minds, and I don’t think that it should all stop now. If seniors believe that they should take a break they should wait until after senior year. Although the second half of senior year grades are not considered as much as everything else for colleges, it isn’t right to just stop caring now. Seniors should at least finish out their senior year strong. With more free periods than previous years, it isn’t hard to stay on top of school work and not fall behind. Like Chris said, although we may not be motivated to complete busy work, it is still important to do the work. Even after you have been accepted to a few colleges, high school does not become unimportant all of a sudden. There are always new things to learn and take with you for the rest of your life. For example, after AP exams last year teachers still gave us projects to keep us active and motivated for the next year. If seniors begin to slack off now, what’s stopping them from doing the same in the future? How do you know if you will gain back to same motivation you used to have in college? I think that good grades and acceptances from your top choice colleges are more rewarding than knowing that you can get away with not completing homework assignments. I admit that I definitely have senioritis but it is not so bad that I can’t hand in assignments on time. I find myself putting things off until the last minute more and more, but I know that doing the work will be much more rewarding in the end than slacking off for an easy senior year.
Taking a break is something that all seniors believe they have earned after years of homework tests and quizzes, while we have not. What gives seniors the right to slack off their last year of high school? Next year many of us are just going on to another school so there is nothing to have earned because our education is not over yet. If a senior decides not to further he should work harder his senior year to get the most out of his last year of learning. Than again, it is high school and the end should be celebrated, usually starting months in advance by not showing up to class and taking advantage of teachers’ lateness policy. I think that seniors have earned the privilege to act and be treated like and adult. Being able to decide what we think is important for us to learn is going to be crucial in college next year and I think that senior year is a good way to see what we value in our education.
For some, senioritis is just a continuation of bad habits developed in earlier years of high school. There are many students who made it a part of their routine to never show up to class and never do their homework. I'm going to be honest, this year I have been late on quite a few assignments, some of which are still pending, (sorry about that, it's on its way), but I believe that it actually is because of this so called senioritis. I may not be taking a lot of AP's, but it doesn't mean that I didn't work hard the first three years of high school. I think that I do deserve the time to relax, but when crunch time comes, I somehow find a way to get the work done, even if it isn't on time.
That's not to say that I have the right to skip class. For the students that I mentioned before, the ones who made it a part of their routine to skip class, it is easy to skip class this year because, I'm only thinking out loud here, I think it is expected of them. I attend band class every day, for example, and there was one day when I decided to skip the class. One day. One. I would like to say that there are students who never go to class and never get punished, but this one day that I skipped the class, I received a detention. I don't know if it's just not meant to be or if I'm just not good at it, but that's just not fair. There must be a lot of levels of senioritis, because I feel like I'm not doing that much in school, and there are people who are doing a lot less than me. I believe that everyone has the right to get a taste of senioritis at some point, but it is up to the student to snap out of it.
Senioritis. n. 1. The belief that twelfth grade students are allowed to have an easy school year because of previous years of hard work. 2. A tradition where teachers lose their ability to convince seniors to do work.
Frankly, senioritis was first developed because some seniors said, “why am I still studying? As long as I pass and graduate, it doesn’t really matter what my grades are.” Then other students probably started getting envious as they watched these seniors enjoy themselves, and the tradition was born.
So I suppose that however this will be argued depends on what your view of education is. If it’s to get a good job, then sure you’re going to slack off. What can anyone do about it? But, if you’re more interested in learning, then you really have the dilemma. Not only is it probable that you still have homework in AP classes, but most classes also lower the bar in an effort to stay easy enough to keep the interest of the average student. So, senioritis has made classes easier (teachers don’t try to give hard classes or no one will participate), harder (it’s hard to do well in AP courses if your friends are goofing off), and completely unchanged (you’re still studying for the AP, right?).
Like most people have said, "earned" is not the right word; it's more along the lines of reaching the point where it's expected. Whether everyone wants to admit it or not, the past twelve and a half years were spent in order to benefit us to get into college. Homework was done to get good grades. Studying was done to get good grades. Elementary school was to prepare us for middle school. Middle school to prepare us for high school. High school to prepare us for college. So why not get some time to enjoy all those accomplishments? Once all the applications and APs are done, I do believe seniors should have some lee way on not having “perfect” attendance, but I don’t believe they have the right slack off on work and have it affect their grades.
As Chris and Elyana said, "earned" is not the correct word. But after all the hardwork we have put in over the past twelve years, it is nice to be able to take a break. Everything we have done thus far has been to help us get into college. Now that people have gotten into colleges and with the second half of the year grades not really mattering, people do not have the intrinsic motivation to do work for the sake of bettering themselves.
We only have a few courses offered at North Salem, so while some people have argued that taking time off now and not worrying about grades and attendance is a bad way to prepare for college, in college we will be studying the things we love and taking courses we are actually interested in. I don't think our actions now will have any reflection on how we do in college. I think seniors do deserve a break after all the pressure of college apps and having worked hard for the rest of high school.
Ultimately, it comes down to determining what is important? With only a few months before we leave for college is it more important to get in all of the work and attend all of the classes or is it more important to spend time with your friends and to relax after all the years of work you've already put in?
Like most people have already said, nobody has "earned" the right to not do the work for the classes they are in. Some people think they have the right to take a break but if you have signed up for a class then it is not fair to the teacher, or yourself to just give up half way through the year. At this point it is up to each student to decide what is most important to them. We have been given more responsibility and if someone chooses to take advantage of that then it is on him or her. I don’t think that this attitude will continue in college unless the student views their education in that way. I know that if I put the effort in this year and finish high school with good grades then it will pay off in the end. While I find myself less motivated than in the past, I still hand in all my assignments and try to do my best. In the fall I will begin to take classes that I really want to be taking and the only way that I will be able to do that is to not slack off at the end.
I think the fact that only 12 students have written this blog proves that a majority of seniors have a case of senioritis. But as everyone who posted before me said, "earned" is not the correct word to use when explaining the break from schoolwork that many seniors take after their completion of the second quarter. As Chris Lange explained, nobody forced us to do our homework or study for the past 12 years. If we deemed the assignment important, we chose to put the time into its completion. Seniors haven’t earned a break; we simply do not have the motivation and drive to perform as well in school and complete all of our homework, when we know that if we pass and maintain decent grades, we will still be able to attend our top schools in the fall. Although I still feel a responsibility to complete all my school work and graduate high school with a strong academic record, the pointless homework or busy work that some teachers assign are just wasting the diminishing time we have left to enjoy our friends and have fun before we leave at the end of the summer. Like Bryan said, for some, senioritis is a continuation of bad habits developed throughout high school. For others, it is a matter of what is more important to them: spending hours on homework assignments, or spending our limited time with friends.
AHhhh! Do I think I need a break? Damn right. There is so much pressure put on high school students: Take this AP, join this club, you MUST do get community service hours! It's exhausting. Last year I feel as though many of the seniors knew where they were going to school by Christmas, and therefore just didn't even care about school anymore. I look back and think, "how did they do that?" I know where I am going to school, but I still don't feel like I can slack. It's annoying. I almost always have my work done on time, and I just want a month to do nothinggggg! I guess I'm just sick of the "busy work" which alot of teachers love to give. It is getting nice out, spring is here, and although I will definitely miss high school, I think I'm ready to relax until collegeeee! =)
Beginning with freshman year, I was told that senior year was the time to relax before college. Junior year was supposed to be the most difficult and strenuous and senior year was supposed to be when students would be able to relax a bit more. Now that I am graduating, I can see that is not the case.
Yes, I believe we, as seniors, have earned the right to take a break after our hard work. We've all been working pretty hard throughout our high school careers and if we've already gotten into the colleges we want to go to - what's the point? I mean, I have a lot of work in the classes I'm taking this year so it's somewhat difficult for me to actually take a break, but I definitely think the class of 2009 has earned it.
I think that this blog is a perfect example of senioritis. The blog was assigned last week and still only 16 students have done it and many others like myself forgot and are doing it when they remember they have to. I don't that seniors have earned the right to take a break but i don't think we really care if we have or not. Most of us have been accept into college and now we feel compelled to slack off. Now i don't think we have earned this right but in the situation i don't think there is a reason for us to work as hard as we normally do. Now since we have gotten in to college and we don't have to prove anything the only thing that drives us is pride. Some people will keep their grades high because they always have and they don't want their grades to dip. Others just don't care anymore because now colleges hardly care about what we are getting. I don't think i have earned a right to senioritis but now that there isn't something always driving me to do my work there are many times when i just put it off because i am not in the mood.
I don't know if we've earned anything. Skipping class and "taking a break", that's a choice, not a privelage. If it was something that we have earned then it wouldn't be "senioritis" and frowned upon, it would be given to us.
It's not like this is our last year of schooling. We have four more. And maybe even more after that. So if we think we earn the right now, what will we think after a few years of college?
I agree with Chris' question though. I know I've skipped class plenty of times, and it seems that I've lost my work ethic that I always prided myself on. I always did my homeworks, always studied, always went to class. Now though, for some reason, I have no motivation. It's not even that I got into college and the rest of the semesters don't necessarilly count, I just have stopped putting school on the top of my priority list. Will that carry over into college? I hope not.
I agree with Seymour; Senioritis is not a right we have "earned" but simply a result of our education system. The only motivation for most students throughout their high school career (at least for myself), is the belief that colleges will be basing their decisions heavily on the grades we get in 9th-11th grades. Once we hit senior year though, especially the second half, we have been told that our grades are not expected to be as high, and the motivation is gone. Therefore, whether one thinks they have earned it or not they will start to take a break from schoolwork because they finally can. I also agree that senioritis can be a very bad thing. After slacking for so long it is important that we get back into our old selves when we arrive at college and keep up with the work.
If I did not do this blog now, it most likely never would have gotten completed. I can honestly say that I have done absolutely nothing in class this quarter (I apologize Mr. Kowgios; I will try to do some assignments). I think that this is a normal thing with seniors and will probably never change. Throughout high school I always handed my work in on time. Although I was an enormous procrastinator I refused to hand work in late and therefore I would stress myself out trying to cram in all of my work, much like what I am doing right now with this government project. A project that I have deemed useless and do not particularly care what grade I end up receiving. I have already decided on a college so I find it difficult to pay attention in school. I try to listen in class, but I find myself dazing off and thinking about random things. I know this behavior is resulting from years of annoying, excruciating, and boring schoolwork that I have completed and it would be great to have a little break before college. A break before I have to start this school process all over again.
When you are younger, you have less and less say in what you can do. However, come about high school, nobody, in my opinion at least, is forced to continue their education. For those who finish out high school with the same great work habits they began it with, "senioritis" would most likely not be seen as something they "earned." However, for the most of us who have just admitted to becoming flat out lazy, myself included, seem to think otherwise.
I will be the first to admit that my study habits and work ethics this year were nothing compared to what they once were. Don't get me wrong, I still care about my grade, and want to do well, but I seem to be doing less and less work to my "greatest potential." Not that I think this is acceptable, or the right thing to do, I just feel as though it happens. Laziness takes over.
I do not think seniors have earned any right to "take a break." In my opinion, taking a break is what winter, summer and spring breaks are for. As well as the numerous days off in between, and even weekends. I do feel as though maybe once in awhile people can use a "mental health day," but that goes for anybody. Whether it’s in middle school, high school, college, work or just everyday life, people get stressed, and need to just chill for a day. Not for months at a time, or an entire school year. In the “real world,” when you have a job and are making a living, there is no "senioritis." That is called pure laziness.
I don't think senior's earn the right to take a break after the 13 years of their primary education, I think it just comes along for some with the expanding of our thought processes; This is the case for me at least.
I somewhat agree with Chris where how he says the ones that should get it have all the work piled on still, but we do get a break, and that is summer time. However I do not agree with Sarah's statements at all. No one is getting excited about not doing any work, its just that we have learned from the illustrious Dr. Kowigos to focus on what really matters, and that nothing is really a big deal. I feel this applies to doing worksheets that have no meaning whatsoever to my life. And speaking of how we "won't have parents breathing down our necks to get it done" in college? If you are a senior and you have a parent doing that to you it seems you still have room to grow. Personally I haven't had my parents check up on my HW in around 2 years. I still get it done, and when I don't, I will eventually if it means something to me.
I have found in this senior year that you should only focus on the things that are relevant to your life, and that you like, therefore even though I may slack off and not hand in any of my government hw on time I will still be able to turn back on in English class or in college because I will be pursuing an education which I have total control over, and I will enjoy. I may add more to this, but I have spent all my hw doing energy for tonight.
I think I speak for some seniors when I say we don’t care what you people think of us slacking seniors. So we hand in a few assignments late, we aren’t hurting anyone. The only point you could argue is we are hurting ourselves. Allow me to take a second while I laugh in your face. Throughout high school we attempt to achieve high grades so we can attend a prestigious universe so we can receive a good education. Elyana made an excellent point and I commend her brilliance. Report cards (up until now) were a reflection on how good of a student we were and whether we were worth being accepted into a college of our choice. Now that all of that hard work has been justified those numbers on that dreadful sheet of paper have lost their intimidation value. Students have had their hard work rewarded and at this point all we need to do is pass. Without any consequences of declining grades why not let our grades slip to a reasonable extent? The world’s top scientists have been searching for years to find this answer but are still coming up empty handed. In my opinion, “senioritis” is blown out of proportion, we aren’t hurting anybody, maybe giving the occasional headache to a teacher, but come on. Come ooooon.
All you guys are trying to do is justify our slacking off or making other such excuses. I say why even care. Do you think Kurtz would care if some one said he had senioritis? No, he’d stick their head on a pike, and who’s going to argue with that? I guess you could argue we’ve “earned” this break but either way our slacking off doesn’t cause any harm, so stop interrogating why we have this “senioritis” and just accept it for what it is.
I also agree with Sophie’s valuable and thought provoking cop out.
It is definitely not something that has been "earned" because anyone, no matter how hard they have worked in the past 13 years, can still be a part of it. Chris Seymour said that "The students that have had senioritis for most of high school are the one thats continue to reap the benefits," but I don't think this has much truth to it. The ones that have done more work in the first and second quarter of senior year actually have more leeway to slack off in the last two quarters, and still achieve all that is needed after college acceptance, passing high school. Senioritis is just a choose, and whether the opportunity was earned or not, it is still available to anyone. Some people have said that they still want to stay active in learning and continue to gain meaning from school, but this can still be done with skipping those lengthy, pointless homework assignments. Your grades may drop a few or even several points, but if you can still live with your head held high, and be confident in your college abilities, then why not?
Senioritis is a term that used as an excuse for seniors who slack off a bit, stop handing in assignments, and put off studying. But what gives seniors the right to start this sort of behavior when they have worked hard for numerous years? Why not finish off strong? If a junior stops doing their work at the end of the year, why isn't it called "junioritis"? And why do many accept this "senioritis" excuse, especially after AP tests are over? Like many, I do admit to having senioritis on occasion, and I know it is going to be really hard to motivate myself to do work after break. But I know that I won't let myself start to fail classes that I have been doing exceedingly well in all year. That would just be stupid. My parents always have been ones to make sure I maintain my grades, and right before I go off to college, leaving them, I do not want to disappoint them; especially since they will be paying for wherever I choose to go in the fall. I do think that once AP classes and OPTIONS are over, that seniors should be able to relax, spend time with friends they won't see very often anymore, and bond as a senior class. Overall, I believe that seniors should not take advantage of "senioritis", but should be able to relax a bit, knowing they have accomplished a lot throughout their high school career.
As high school students we have earned everything we have worked for up to this point, whether it is success academically or the results of slacking. To say that seniors have “earned” a break is not the right terminology. It is more of a relaxed year, minus college application process. Once that is over with and acceptances come in, as seniors we feel like weight is lifted off our shoulders and we can continue the year knowing we have reached the end of the high school process. For some the classes are minimal, but for others there is still much work demanded from them from AP classes. However there are some downfalls to slacking off in the last months of school. Next fall will not be as easy and these habits may not be to one’s benefit once the college workload starts to roll in. I admit to being one of the many putting off assignments until a couple of hours before class, but when it comes down to it, I get my work done when it’s a necessity. In my opinion everything we’re doing right now is almost like “busy work” (except for AP English) and most teachers cut us some slack, understanding that it’s our last year. It’s a personal decision choosing to take this year easy but with college approaching quickly, it’s nice to have some free time on our hands as seniors.
For me, at least, I feel as though senioritis is this word teachers have invented to try to scare students back into doing their work. When I was younger in middle school I used to do every single assignment handed to me on time and neat, (not only because as a little kid you think homework is fun or something) but because I was scared of what a teacher might say or thought when I didn't complete an assignment. However, one day, I am not positive which day it was, I realized that I could actually not do my work and have minimal consequences. I realized somehow it is possible that I could get the same grades without all the work. So what if a teacher says there disappointed in you. I would be disappointed in them if they gave me homework that disrupted my American Idol time. I feel as though ever since that day when I missed an assignment because I left my book in my locker or I had some other obligation, I learned how to play school. I think that this word should be placed on all of high school itself because i know plenty of kids who are not yet 5 ft who have this "senioritis." Also, this kid named Greg Shea seems to be able to pull his AP calculus grade higher than mine when he has handed in 2 assignments the whole year and I have done ever single one. This is even less initiative to do work. Plus, this is supposed to be senior year, yet somehow I find myself with less free periods than any other year and double the activities. So maybe I miss a few homeworks here and there,who's counting, no one, that's what makes senioritis or really highschoolitis so attractive.
After working as a police officer or doctor for thirteen years is your obligation to save lives relinquished? If I was the patient of the doctor that slacked off or a tax-paying member of that community patrolled by the police officer I would be extremely enraged. Is education different? Sure, we’ve invested thirteen years of our lives, lost countless hours of sleep, have been stressed by meaningless busywork, but are we in a position to determine what is or isn’t meaningful to the development of our mind? I’d like to think so. We obviously know our learning styles better than anyone else; only we have full access to our thoughts. If busy work is necessary to help me succeed than I will complete it without hesitation. However, when it proves to be unnecessary, maybe not for everyone, but for me, it truly irks me to be forced to complete the work. School should not be about playing a game to get a grade that supposedly signifies our intelligence. Grades are meaningless. Why should homework and packets full of monotonous questions and unnecessary assignments that indubitably hinder the natural progression of the larger assignment? Reading should not have to be supplemented with a packet; if a full- or close to full, understanding of the novel is derived from reading than why punish the student? Attempting to make us do the same assignments is like forcing an amateur golfer to attempt to hit a pitching wedge the same distance as a pga pro- we might need to take a different club, but the outcome will be the same- as long as we don’t end up three putting.
I agree with the previous posts and believe that students have not technically "earned" the right to take a break. Because school is not officially over, we should still be handing in our work and trying in class, but senioritis is a disease that infects all types of students, from slackers to overachievers. Once you reach senior year, your peers will begin to slack off and not care, which will encourage you to stop caring as well. Even if I have not "earned" the right to slack off, I have pretty much stopped caring about grades because I have no motivation to try anymore, especially after getting accepted into colleges. At this point teachers and students are aware that school doesn't matter, and even though finishing out the school year strong is the "right thing to do", continuing to work hard makes no sense when there is no longer any reward, besides receiving decent grades. In my opinion, I believe that these bad work habits will fade away when we are in college since the students around you will most likely be working hard, which will motivate you to work hard in order to be at the same achievement level as the other students.
I feel that seniors are not entitle to the break period because we have only really been doing work since middle and need to do a lot more to really deserve something
A break well deserved- I’ve worked hard the past 13 years. Every day full of stress, every test "determining my future." The school has made us focus on and work so hard on tedious work and now that we will be moving on to college, a break is long overdue. A break is great for many reasons. One it makes life great. Two it helps eliminate stress and mental problems. And third I think having a break before college is a very important thing. After working and studying for 13 years, the last thing any student wants to do is only have a mere 1 to 1 1/2 month summer break before college starts. The two months sufficed for high school but now we only have one and a half months to relax before we take the next biggest step in our lives. In my mind the best way to get a great fresh start in college is to first take a long break. If I am well rested and haven’t really done work the past 4 months before college. Then I'll enjoy getting back to work especially in my major of engineering. But if I don't get that long needed break then work could be just as painful as it was in the last months of every year of high school. Therefore a break is needed to refuel the batteries as they say and when the student goes to college they will attack it and do the best they ever have done.
You American children have gone soft. Why should you receive any break from work simply for being accepted to a higher academic institution (assuming you did)? the reason you were accepted is because of devotion to work. if you slack now, you are mocking the very institution you claim to want to be a part of. "English" was correct in his parallel to police officers and doctors: what right do you have to merely shrug off what is required of you? and how selfish you are for assuming that since worksheets do not help you that they are meaningless. do you not understand that not everyone is like you? do you not understand that some people need those tasks to aid them in comprehension? how dare you. how dare you mock the system that helps those poor souls succeed. so do your "stupid" work sheets. finish those "useless" math problems. what harm can it do? oh sure you "waste" a whole ten minutes of your day that you spend doing...nothing. so stop complaining. stop thinking you earned anything. the only thing you earned is a chance at a chance to do something good in this world, to become educated and enter a field that will make a difference. if you start this trend of giving up now, where will it end?
minion? you are wrong in your assumption i have a master, but i see it was only used as an insult. oh and by all means rebel then. don't learn. the world needs people to pump gas too.
I don't necessarily believe that anyone, regardless of how many a.p. classes they're enrolled in or how many different kind of balls they play with during the year,earns the right to take a break. The system gives you breaks on weekends, appointed vacation time and holidays; if they thought you deserved more time off they'd give it to you.
I think the issue of senioritis really doesn't stem so much from a feeling of collective entitlement as it erupts from a pot of stewing rage, teenage lust, shattered dreams and deeply rooted feelings of total repression coming from tyrannical teacher overlords holding us down for 13 years.
After a while a group of oppressed people are going to break a few pool sticks, punch holes in some ceiling tiles or say "@#$% that sh@t". Those on the receiving end of our "rebellious" years can either deal with it or label the problem with cute little names like senioritis so the overall bondage of our soul to the North Salem Central School District seems like kids being kids.
P.S. in relation to "After working as a police officer or doctor for thirteen years is your obligation to save lives relinquished?" If overall affiliation over time, based upon an outside source's wants and needs constitutes what one's purpose and meaning is in life then i suppose you believe that the many Jewish people in the holocaust should have continued their suffering after the war ended for the sake of continuity.
As for the Devil's Advocate's "the reason you were accepted is because of devotion to work. if you slack now, you are mocking the very institution you claim to want to be a part of." You are taking entirely too much of a leap in your assumption of our claim to want to take part. At age 3 our parents put us into pre-school we grew up knowing you listen to teachers and you do what adults tell you or you fail, and when you fail you can not be a useful part of society. We were born onto an assembly line, tempered till we were the right shape, the perfect cog for whatever the greater mass of people want us for.
P.S.S. In reference to "us American Children" being soft. If American children are so soft then why do you hear about us slinging crack, killing our little sister's, raping women and murdering our parents? Also is America is the greatest country in the history of the world. You should think twice before you call the future of the greatest country in the world soft. For while you may contest how truly "great" we are, our capabilities of destruction and global annihilation are abundantly clear. We got the most nukes already, just a few years till we're holding the triggers. ;D
Devil’s Advocate… I find your last comment extremely rude and uncalled for. I happen to have a cousin who works at a gas station, and to make the assertion that people who “pump gas” are uneducated only shows that you are both ignorant and pompous. Just because my cousin works at a gas station does not mean he is stupid. He did go to college and he is actually very interesting to talk with. I am glad to see that Oxford has kept up its reputation in educating fine individuals like yourself.
At this point, my opinion on senioritis is repetitive and reflects what many others have said. It all depends on what type of person you are. We all have the right to stop doing our work… it is just a matter of what is important to us and what consequences we fear. Some of us do work because we like “challenging our minds.” Others may hate schoolwork but continue to do it so they get into a good college – but even then, what is the point of going to college? Who knows? We decide for ourselves what is important. As seniors, we have the choice to either do all of our assignments on time, like Chris Seymour, and get into a good college, or be like Mike Cuzzi, complete fewer assignments on time, and still get into a good college.
Maybe if we complete all of our assignments on time we can get into Oxford and turn out to be just like Devil's Advocate.
I do not think a senior can claim the right for a break because they have almost completed 13 years of schooling. The teachers still have to go to work, younger students are going to classes, and outside of school life is still continuing. Adults never get a break from work just because of the length of time they work there; yet they are allowed to get away with more misbehavior. And that is what should be expected by seniors. We do not need a break, but teachers should not expect all assignments to be done on time. If no one is looking at the third and fourth quarter grades, then there is no need to get a perfect score on an assignment. It does not need to be in on time. It does not need to be done.
My lateness in completing this blog basically gives me away of my senioritis affliction. But that's not to say that I consider senioritis as something that is "earned." I think it is just a label to the concept of taking advantage of lenient rules and carefree attitudes of teachers towards their senior students. In some cases, I think teachers enable senioritis: they acknowledge it and change their "rules" and strictness accordingly. They even joke about how seniors have slacked off and have a non-chalant attitude towards it. How can seniors not feel obligated to go along with it? Even if teachers dont enable these sentiments of laziness and sloth, I feel that seniors are elidgible to embrace them. We have worked hard for 4 years (or three and a half) and since we are not in college, but high shcool, it's okay to be a little silly while it's still acceptable, no?
I have senoritis. And a fairly severe case at that. My grades are slumping, I feel less enthusiastic, and am becoming increasingly lazy, note the lateness of this assignment as proof. I find little enjoyment in any class and I long to be outside or doing something other than what I should be. After 13 years of highschool I could really care less I guess.... earned it you ask? Not really but the overwhelming fact that the end is plaguing my conscious. Throughout the course of a normal day i deidcate about 2 hours to plain staring outside, allowing my mind roam among the open baseball field or observe a middleschool pick up game. Checking out some crossovers, blocks, and putting together my fantasy team. Usually at this point I realize about fifteen or twenty minutes has passed and casually take an extended bathroom break to further elongate the period of absentmindedness. But what the hell I'm into college already right? I guess I'm just a weak individual.
I remember back in middle school all of our teachers told us that all of our work had to be handed in on time and nothing could be late, because that's how it is in high school. So of course everything i handed in was on time. Now this is not the case.
I am not going to lie here, I definitely have senioritis. It may have even started after the first 3 months of high school. I began learning each teachers methods. To my surprise, most teachers accepted late work and still gave out full credit. Only few gave out 0's. Perhaps this is where my "slacking attitude" began.
So maybe students like me haven't earned a break; but from the beginning we have had the responsibility to hand in our work or not, fully aware of the consequences. My senior year perhaps has been my laziest year of them all, but after a couple years of practice, i have finally learned the rules to this game they call "high school." So maybe i missed a couple assignments and maybe i handed in late work, but i knew my dead lines and knew all the points i would receive or lose along the way. The result: my GPA is the highest it has ever been.
43 comments:
I don't think that "earned" is the correct word to use. If senioritis was something that was earned, then those that have done the best would receive the most breaks. It is the opposite in our situation.
The students that have had senioritis for most of high school are the ones that continue to reap the benefits. Their classes all begin to die down, while the many AP classes still bombard some seniors with work.
I think we all deserve a break because there is no more pressure on us to succeed. It is just the way that the system works. Our grades are based on only the first two quarters, and beyond that, colleges are very lenient.
The question is, when does senioritis end? What if we all end up at college and cannot gain back our work ethic until it is too late?
Obviously, we all deserve this break. I mean, after thirteen years of work adults are allowed to slack off and not do their work for a couple months, right? To say that our hard work and true dedication shouldn’t be rewarded with a free grade in each class and permission to abandon school is, well, it’s simply ludicrous.
This senioritis is well earned. Clearly, students who have exhibited a concern for learning and have demonstrated a strong work ethic should be given the right to relinquish their principles. Everyone is permitted to be a little savage and crazy with ultimate freedom once in a while, aren’t they? I’m also confident us seniors will be spending our newly founded freedom doing something progressive; not going out late or partying or doing something unpleasant like that. I know the first thing I’m going to do this summer is sign up for more learning opportunities!
Since my moral code wasn’t built into me over the years, I know my senioritis is waiting for me come the turn of the season. It’ll be easy to blow off AP work and not show up to class anymore, especially Spanish. I hate Spanish.
But, in all seriousness, this senioritis entitlement is just like retirement. For adults, they can slave away laboriously for 50 or so years and then live down in Florida receiving social security. For our breed of seniors, we can do remedial work for a bit under 13 years, occasionally throwing in an actual good assignment, and then quit right before the finish line. It’s awesome.
It's difficult to say that seniors "earn" the right to senioritis and the break that comes with it. Obviously, not all seniors have worked as hard as their peers, yet each feels that they have earned a break from the massive (or minimal) amount of work that they've taken on.
And as Chris points out, those who have done the best are then placed in AP classes, which can continue to pour substantial amounts of work into the student's lap long after regular classes have given up on teaching seniors who are indifferent to work.
Personally, I have absolutely no sense of senioritis. I don't think it makes sense to get excited at the prospect of not doing work. As students we will continue to have work in college, but it will be more of our responsibility to complete it, and we won't have parents breathing down our necks to get it done. To adapt to a lack of work now would only be detrimental later.
Senioritis is really just an excuse for procrastinators and underachievers to put in less effort.
I don't think seniors have earned any right really. Throughout our school career we have had the choice to do our school work or not. No one forced us to do our homework, it was all out choice, so what right have we earned? There is no right to earn. I feel however that now that most of us have been accepted into college, that busy work such as pointless homework assignments are now even less appealing to do than they were. Why do work they we feel is pointless and won't expand out minds? That's the "senioritis" I know I'm experience. Although I don't feel those assignments are important, that doesn't mean I'm going to slack off. I still feel I should do assignments and work I feel are meaningful, such as the english journals which help expand my thoughts and learn new things about myself. If I felt seniors earned the right to take a break I wouldn't listen in any class, but I still am willing to learn. That is why I still like to participate in class and ask questions. That is one of the reasons why I love our english class. We use class discussion to have meaningful conversation about life, and to learn more about our selfs.
I do not think that seniors have necessarily “earned” the right to take a break after thirteen years of school. We have worked hard and studied for thirteen years, gaining new knowledge and expanding our minds, and I don’t think that it should all stop now. If seniors believe that they should take a break they should wait until after senior year. Although the second half of senior year grades are not considered as much as everything else for colleges, it isn’t right to just stop caring now. Seniors should at least finish out their senior year strong. With more free periods than previous years, it isn’t hard to stay on top of school work and not fall behind. Like Chris said, although we may not be motivated to complete busy work, it is still important to do the work. Even after you have been accepted to a few colleges, high school does not become unimportant all of a sudden. There are always new things to learn and take with you for the rest of your life. For example, after AP exams last year teachers still gave us projects to keep us active and motivated for the next year. If seniors begin to slack off now, what’s stopping them from doing the same in the future? How do you know if you will gain back to same motivation you used to have in college? I think that good grades and acceptances from your top choice colleges are more rewarding than knowing that you can get away with not completing homework assignments. I admit that I definitely have senioritis but it is not so bad that I can’t hand in assignments on time. I find myself putting things off until the last minute more and more, but I know that doing the work will be much more rewarding in the end than slacking off for an easy senior year.
Taking a break is something that all seniors believe they have earned after years of homework tests and quizzes, while we have not. What gives seniors the right to slack off their last year of high school? Next year many of us are just going on to another school so there is nothing to have earned because our education is not over yet. If a senior decides not to further he should work harder his senior year to get the most out of his last year of learning.
Than again, it is high school and the end should be celebrated, usually starting months in advance by not showing up to class and taking advantage of teachers’ lateness policy. I think that seniors have earned the privilege to act and be treated like and adult. Being able to decide what we think is important for us to learn is going to be crucial in college next year and I think that senior year is a good way to see what we value in our education.
For some, senioritis is just a continuation of bad habits developed in earlier years of high school. There are many students who made it a part of their routine to never show up to class and never do their homework. I'm going to be honest, this year I have been late on quite a few assignments, some of which are still pending, (sorry about that, it's on its way), but I believe that it actually is because of this so called senioritis. I may not be taking a lot of AP's, but it doesn't mean that I didn't work hard the first three years of high school. I think that I do deserve the time to relax, but when crunch time comes, I somehow find a way to get the work done, even if it isn't on time.
That's not to say that I have the right to skip class. For the students that I mentioned before, the ones who made it a part of their routine to skip class, it is easy to skip class this year because, I'm only thinking out loud here, I think it is expected of them. I attend band class every day, for example, and there was one day when I decided to skip the class. One day. One. I would like to say that there are students who never go to class and never get punished, but this one day that I skipped the class, I received a detention. I don't know if it's just not meant to be or if I'm just not good at it, but that's just not fair. There must be a lot of levels of senioritis, because I feel like I'm not doing that much in school, and there are people who are doing a lot less than me. I believe that everyone has the right to get a taste of senioritis at some point, but it is up to the student to snap out of it.
Senioritis. n. 1. The belief that twelfth grade students are allowed to have an easy school year because of previous years of hard work. 2. A tradition where teachers lose their ability to convince seniors to do work.
Frankly, senioritis was first developed because some seniors said, “why am I still studying? As long as I pass and graduate, it doesn’t really matter what my grades are.” Then other students probably started getting envious as they watched these seniors enjoy themselves, and the tradition was born.
So I suppose that however this will be argued depends on what your view of education is. If it’s to get a good job, then sure you’re going to slack off. What can anyone do about it? But, if you’re more interested in learning, then you really have the dilemma. Not only is it probable that you still have homework in AP classes, but most classes also lower the bar in an effort to stay easy enough to keep the interest of the average student. So, senioritis has made classes easier (teachers don’t try to give hard classes or no one will participate), harder (it’s hard to do well in AP courses if your friends are goofing off), and completely unchanged (you’re still studying for the AP, right?).
Like most people have said, "earned" is not the right word; it's more along the lines of reaching the point where it's expected.
Whether everyone wants to admit it or not, the past twelve and a half years were spent in order to benefit us to get into college. Homework was done to get good grades. Studying was done to get good grades. Elementary school was to prepare us for middle school. Middle school to prepare us for high school. High school to prepare us for college. So why not get some time to enjoy all those accomplishments?
Once all the applications and APs are done, I do believe seniors should have some lee way on not having “perfect” attendance, but I don’t believe they have the right slack off on work and have it affect their grades.
As Chris and Elyana said, "earned" is not the correct word. But after all the hardwork we have put in over the past twelve years, it is nice to be able to take a break. Everything we have done thus far has been to help us get into college. Now that people have gotten into colleges and with the second half of the year grades not really mattering, people do not have the intrinsic motivation to do work for the sake of bettering themselves.
We only have a few courses offered at North Salem, so while some people have argued that taking time off now and not worrying about grades and attendance is a bad way to prepare for college, in college we will be studying the things we love and taking courses we are actually interested in. I don't think our actions now will have any reflection on how we do in college. I think seniors do deserve a break after all the pressure of college apps and having worked hard for the rest of high school.
Ultimately, it comes down to determining what is important? With only a few months before we leave for college is it more important to get in all of the work and attend all of the classes or is it more important to spend time with your friends and to relax after all the years of work you've already put in?
Like most people have already said, nobody has "earned" the right to not do the work for the classes they are in. Some people think they have the right to take a break but if you have signed up for a class then it is not fair to the teacher, or yourself to just give up half way through the year. At this point it is up to each student to decide what is most important to them. We have been given more responsibility and if someone chooses to take advantage of that then it is on him or her. I don’t think that this attitude will continue in college unless the student views their education in that way. I know that if I put the effort in this year and finish high school with good grades then it will pay off in the end. While I find myself less motivated than in the past, I still hand in all my assignments and try to do my best. In the fall I will begin to take classes that I really want to be taking and the only way that I will be able to do that is to not slack off at the end.
Senioritis In Action.
I think the fact that only 12 students have written this blog proves that a majority of seniors have a case of senioritis. But as everyone who posted before me said, "earned" is not the correct word to use when explaining the break from schoolwork that many seniors take after their completion of the second quarter. As Chris Lange explained, nobody forced us to do our homework or study for the past 12 years. If we deemed the assignment important, we chose to put the time into its completion. Seniors haven’t earned a break; we simply do not have the motivation and drive to perform as well in school and complete all of our homework, when we know that if we pass and maintain decent grades, we will still be able to attend our top schools in the fall. Although I still feel a responsibility to complete all my school work and graduate high school with a strong academic record, the pointless homework or busy work that some teachers assign are just wasting the diminishing time we have left to enjoy our friends and have fun before we leave at the end of the summer. Like Bryan said, for some, senioritis is a continuation of bad habits developed throughout high school. For others, it is a matter of what is more important to them: spending hours on homework assignments, or spending our limited time with friends.
AHhhh! Do I think I need a break? Damn right. There is so much pressure put on high school students: Take this AP, join this club, you MUST do get community service hours! It's exhausting. Last year I feel as though many of the seniors knew where they were going to school by Christmas, and therefore just didn't even care about school anymore. I look back and think, "how did they do that?" I know where I am going to school, but I still don't feel like I can slack. It's annoying. I almost always have my work done on time, and I just want a month to do nothinggggg! I guess I'm just sick of the "busy work" which alot of teachers love to give. It is getting nice out, spring is here, and although I will definitely miss high school, I think I'm ready to relax until collegeeee! =)
Beginning with freshman year, I was told that senior year was the time to relax before college. Junior year was supposed to be the most difficult and strenuous and senior year was supposed to be when students would be able to relax a bit more. Now that I am graduating, I can see that is not the case.
Yes, I believe we, as seniors, have earned the right to take a break after our hard work. We've all been working pretty hard throughout our high school careers and if we've already gotten into the colleges we want to go to - what's the point? I mean, I have a lot of work in the classes I'm taking this year so it's somewhat difficult for me to actually take a break, but I definitely think the class of 2009 has earned it.
I think that this blog is a perfect example of senioritis. The blog was assigned last week and still only 16 students have done it and many others like myself forgot and are doing it when they remember they have to. I don't that seniors have earned the right to take a break but i don't think we really care if we have or not. Most of us have been accept into college and now we feel compelled to slack off. Now i don't think we have earned this right but in the situation i don't think there is a reason for us to work as hard as we normally do. Now since we have gotten in to college and we don't have to prove anything the only thing that drives us is pride. Some people will keep their grades high because they always have and they don't want their grades to dip. Others just don't care anymore because now colleges hardly care about what we are getting. I don't think i have earned a right to senioritis but now that there isn't something always driving me to do my work there are many times when i just put it off because i am not in the mood.
I don't know if we've earned anything. Skipping class and "taking a break", that's a choice, not a privelage. If it was something that we have earned then it wouldn't be "senioritis" and frowned upon, it would be given to us.
It's not like this is our last year of schooling. We have four more. And maybe even more after that. So if we think we earn the right now, what will we think after a few years of college?
I agree with Chris' question though. I know I've skipped class plenty of times, and it seems that I've lost my work ethic that I always prided myself on. I always did my homeworks, always studied, always went to class. Now though, for some reason, I have no motivation. It's not even that I got into college and the rest of the semesters don't necessarilly count, I just have stopped putting school on the top of my priority list. Will that carry over into college? I hope not.
I agree with Seymour; Senioritis is not a right we have "earned" but simply a result of our education system. The only motivation for most students throughout their high school career (at least for myself), is the belief that colleges will be basing their decisions heavily on the grades we get in 9th-11th grades. Once we hit senior year though, especially the second half, we have been told that our grades are not expected to be as high, and the motivation is gone. Therefore, whether one thinks they have earned it or not they will start to take a break from schoolwork because they finally can. I also agree that senioritis can be a very bad thing. After slacking for so long it is important that we get back into our old selves when we arrive at college and keep up with the work.
If I did not do this blog now, it most likely never would have gotten completed. I can honestly say that I have done absolutely nothing in class this quarter (I apologize Mr. Kowgios; I will try to do some assignments). I think that this is a normal thing with seniors and will probably never change.
Throughout high school I always handed my work in on time. Although I was an enormous procrastinator I refused to hand work in late and therefore I would stress myself out trying to cram in all of my work, much like what I am doing right now with this government project. A project that I have deemed useless and do not particularly care what grade I end up receiving.
I have already decided on a college so I find it difficult to pay attention in school. I try to listen in class, but I find myself dazing off and thinking about random things. I know this behavior is resulting from years of annoying, excruciating, and boring schoolwork that I have completed and it would be great to have a little break before college. A break before I have to start this school process all over again.
When you are younger, you have less and less say in what you can do. However, come about high school, nobody, in my opinion at least, is forced to continue their education. For those who finish out high school with the same great work habits they began it with, "senioritis" would most likely not be seen as something they "earned." However, for the most of us who have just admitted to becoming flat out lazy, myself included, seem to think otherwise.
I will be the first to admit that my study habits and work ethics this year were nothing compared to what they once were. Don't get me wrong, I still care about my grade, and want to do well, but I seem to be doing less and less work to my "greatest potential." Not that I think this is acceptable, or the right thing to do, I just feel as though it happens. Laziness takes over.
I do not think seniors have earned any right to "take a break." In my opinion, taking a break is what winter, summer and spring breaks are for. As well as the numerous days off in between, and even weekends. I do feel as though maybe once in awhile people can use a "mental health day," but that goes for anybody. Whether it’s in middle school, high school, college, work or just everyday life, people get stressed, and need to just chill for a day. Not for months at a time, or an entire school year. In the “real world,” when you have a job and are making a living, there is no "senioritis." That is called pure laziness.
I have no opinion on this.
I don't think senior's earn the right to take a break after the 13 years of their primary education, I think it just comes along for some with the expanding of our thought processes; This is the case for me at least.
I somewhat agree with Chris where how he says the ones that should get it have all the work piled on still, but we do get a break, and that is summer time. However I do not agree with Sarah's statements at all. No one is getting excited about not doing any work, its just that we have learned from the illustrious Dr. Kowigos to focus on what really matters, and that nothing is really a big deal. I feel this applies to doing worksheets that have no meaning whatsoever to my life. And speaking of how we "won't have parents breathing down our necks to get it done" in college? If you are a senior and you have a parent doing that to you it seems you still have room to grow. Personally I haven't had my parents check up on my HW in around 2 years. I still get it done, and when I don't, I will eventually if it means something to me.
I have found in this senior year that you should only focus on the things that are relevant to your life, and that you like, therefore even though I may slack off and not hand in any of my government hw on time I will still be able to turn back on in English class or in college because I will be pursuing an education which I have total control over, and I will enjoy. I may add more to this, but I have spent all my hw doing energy for tonight.
I think I speak for some seniors when I say we don’t care what you people think of us slacking seniors. So we hand in a few assignments late, we aren’t hurting anyone. The only point you could argue is we are hurting ourselves. Allow me to take a second while I laugh in your face. Throughout high school we attempt to achieve high grades so we can attend a prestigious universe so we can receive a good education. Elyana made an excellent point and I commend her brilliance. Report cards (up until now) were a reflection on how good of a student we were and whether we were worth being accepted into a college of our choice. Now that all of that hard work has been justified those numbers on that dreadful sheet of paper have lost their intimidation value. Students have had their hard work rewarded and at this point all we need to do is pass. Without any consequences of declining grades why not let our grades slip to a reasonable extent? The world’s top scientists have been searching for years to find this answer but are still coming up empty handed. In my opinion, “senioritis” is blown out of proportion, we aren’t hurting anybody, maybe giving the occasional headache to a teacher, but come on. Come ooooon.
All you guys are trying to do is justify our slacking off or making other such excuses. I say why even care. Do you think Kurtz would care if some one said he had senioritis? No, he’d stick their head on a pike, and who’s going to argue with that? I guess you could argue we’ve “earned” this break but either way our slacking off doesn’t cause any harm, so stop interrogating why we have this “senioritis” and just accept it for what it is.
I also agree with Sophie’s valuable and thought provoking cop out.
It is definitely not something that has been "earned" because anyone, no matter how hard they have worked in the past 13 years, can still be a part of it. Chris Seymour said that "The students that have had senioritis for most of high school are the one thats continue to reap the benefits," but I don't think this has much truth to it. The ones that have done more work in the first and second quarter of senior year actually have more leeway to slack off in the last two quarters, and still achieve all that is needed after college acceptance, passing high school. Senioritis is just a choose, and whether the opportunity was earned or not, it is still available to anyone. Some people have said that they still want to stay active in learning and continue to gain meaning from school, but this can still be done with skipping those lengthy, pointless homework assignments. Your grades may drop a few or even several points, but if you can still live with your head held high, and be confident in your college abilities, then why not?
Senioritis is a term that used as an excuse for seniors who slack off a bit, stop handing in assignments, and put off studying. But what gives seniors the right to start this sort of behavior when they have worked hard for numerous years? Why not finish off strong? If a junior stops doing their work at the end of the year, why isn't it called "junioritis"? And why do many accept this "senioritis" excuse, especially after AP tests are over? Like many, I do admit to having senioritis on occasion, and I know it is going to be really hard to motivate myself to do work after break. But I know that I won't let myself start to fail classes that I have been doing exceedingly well in all year. That would just be stupid. My parents always have been ones to make sure I maintain my grades, and right before I go off to college, leaving them, I do not want to disappoint them; especially since they will be paying for wherever I choose to go in the fall. I do think that once AP classes and OPTIONS are over, that seniors should be able to relax, spend time with friends they won't see very often anymore, and bond as a senior class. Overall, I believe that seniors should not take advantage of "senioritis", but should be able to relax a bit, knowing they have accomplished a lot throughout their high school career.
As high school students we have earned everything we have worked for up to this point, whether it is success academically or the results of slacking. To say that seniors have “earned” a break is not the right terminology. It is more of a relaxed year, minus college application process. Once that is over with and acceptances come in, as seniors we feel like weight is lifted off our shoulders and we can continue the year knowing we have reached the end of the high school process. For some the classes are minimal, but for others there is still much work demanded from them from AP classes. However there are some downfalls to slacking off in the last months of school. Next fall will not be as easy and these habits may not be to one’s benefit once the college workload starts to roll in. I admit to being one of the many putting off assignments until a couple of hours before class, but when it comes down to it, I get my work done when it’s a necessity. In my opinion everything we’re doing right now is almost like “busy work” (except for AP English) and most teachers cut us some slack, understanding that it’s our last year. It’s a personal decision choosing to take this year easy but with college approaching quickly, it’s nice to have some free time on our hands as seniors.
For me, at least, I feel as though senioritis is this word teachers have invented to try to scare students back into doing their work. When I was younger in middle school I used to do every single assignment handed to me on time and neat, (not only because as a little kid you think homework is fun or something) but because I was scared of what a teacher might say or thought when I didn't complete an assignment. However, one day, I am not positive which day it was, I realized that I could actually not do my work and have minimal consequences. I realized somehow it is possible that I could get the same grades without all the work. So what if a teacher says there disappointed in you. I would be disappointed in them if they gave me homework that disrupted my American Idol time.
I feel as though ever since that day when I missed an assignment because I left my book in my locker or I had some other obligation, I learned how to play school. I think that this word should be placed on all of high school itself because i know plenty of kids who are not yet 5 ft who have this "senioritis."
Also, this kid named Greg Shea seems to be able to pull his AP calculus grade higher than mine when he has handed in 2 assignments the whole year and I have done ever single one. This is even less initiative to do work.
Plus, this is supposed to be senior year, yet somehow I find myself with less free periods than any other year and double the activities. So maybe I miss a few homeworks here and there,who's counting, no one, that's what makes senioritis or really highschoolitis so attractive.
Post on Kyle's behalf:
After working as a police officer or doctor for thirteen years is your obligation to save lives relinquished? If I was the patient of the doctor that slacked off or a tax-paying member of that community patrolled by the police officer I would be extremely enraged. Is education different? Sure, we’ve invested thirteen years of our lives, lost countless hours of sleep, have been stressed by meaningless busywork, but are we in a position to determine what is or isn’t meaningful to the development of our mind?
I’d like to think so. We obviously know our learning styles better than anyone else; only we have full access to our thoughts. If busy work is necessary to help me succeed than I will complete it without hesitation. However, when it proves to be unnecessary, maybe not for everyone, but for me, it truly irks me to be forced to complete the work. School should not be about playing a game to get a grade that supposedly signifies our intelligence. Grades are meaningless. Why should homework and packets full of monotonous questions and unnecessary assignments that indubitably hinder the natural progression of the larger assignment? Reading should not have to be supplemented with a packet; if a full- or close to full, understanding of the novel is derived from reading than why punish the student? Attempting to make us do the same assignments is like forcing an amateur golfer to attempt to hit a pitching wedge the same distance as a pga pro- we might need to take a different club, but the outcome will be the same- as long as we don’t end up three putting.
I agree with the previous posts and believe that students have not technically "earned" the right to take a break. Because school is not officially over, we should still be handing in our work and trying in class, but senioritis is a disease that infects all types of students, from slackers to overachievers. Once you reach senior year, your peers will begin to slack off and not care, which will encourage you to stop caring as well. Even if I have not "earned" the right to slack off, I have pretty much stopped caring about grades because I have no motivation to try anymore, especially after getting accepted into colleges. At this point teachers and students are aware that school doesn't matter, and even though finishing out the school year strong is the "right thing to do", continuing to work hard makes no sense when there is no longer any reward, besides receiving decent grades. In my opinion, I believe that these bad work habits will fade away when we are in college since the students around you will most likely be working hard, which will motivate you to work hard in order to be at the same achievement level as the other students.
I like Erika's answer.
I didn't read anyone else's though.
You kids need to stop wasting your time on this blog and get back to work.
I feel that seniors are not entitle to the break period because we have only really been doing work since middle and need to do a lot more to really deserve something
A break well deserved- I’ve worked hard the past 13 years. Every day full of stress, every test "determining my future." The school has made us focus on and work so hard on tedious work and now that we will be moving on to college, a break is long overdue. A break is great for many reasons. One it makes life great. Two it helps eliminate stress and mental problems. And third I think having a break before college is a very important thing.
After working and studying for 13 years, the last thing any student wants to do is only have a mere 1 to 1 1/2 month summer break before college starts. The two months sufficed for high school but now we only have one and a half months to relax before we take the next biggest step in our lives. In my mind the best way to get a great fresh start in college is to first take a long break. If I am well rested and haven’t really done work the past 4 months before college. Then I'll enjoy getting back to work especially in my major of engineering. But if I don't get that long needed break then work could be just as painful as it was in the last months of every year of high school. Therefore a break is needed to refuel the batteries as they say and when the student goes to college they will attack it and do the best they ever have done.
You American children have gone soft. Why should you receive any break from work simply for being accepted to a higher academic institution (assuming you did)? the reason you were accepted is because of devotion to work. if you slack now, you are mocking the very institution you claim to want to be a part of. "English" was correct in his parallel to police officers and doctors: what right do you have to merely shrug off what is required of you? and how selfish you are for assuming that since worksheets do not help you that they are meaningless. do you not understand that not everyone is like you? do you not understand that some people need those tasks to aid them in comprehension? how dare you. how dare you mock the system that helps those poor souls succeed. so do your "stupid" work sheets. finish those "useless" math problems. what harm can it do? oh sure you "waste" a whole ten minutes of your day that you spend doing...nothing. so stop complaining. stop thinking you earned anything. the only thing you earned is a chance at a chance to do something good in this world, to become educated and enter a field that will make a difference. if you start this trend of giving up now, where will it end?
devils advocate, if more learning makes me into an arrogant minion such as you, I will have none of it.
minion? you are wrong in your assumption i have a master, but i see it was only used as an insult. oh and by all means rebel then. don't learn. the world needs people to pump gas too.
I don't necessarily believe that anyone, regardless of how many a.p. classes they're enrolled in or how many different kind of balls they play with during the year,earns the right to take a break. The system gives you breaks on weekends, appointed vacation time and holidays; if they thought you deserved more time off they'd give it to you.
I think the issue of senioritis really doesn't stem so much from a feeling of collective entitlement as it erupts from a pot of stewing rage, teenage lust, shattered dreams and deeply rooted feelings of total repression coming from tyrannical teacher overlords holding us down for 13 years.
After a while a group of oppressed people are going to break a few pool sticks, punch holes in some ceiling tiles or say "@#$% that sh@t". Those on the receiving end of our "rebellious" years can either deal with it or label the problem with cute little names like senioritis so the overall bondage of our soul to the North Salem Central School District seems like kids being kids.
P.S. in relation to "After working as a police officer or doctor for thirteen years is your obligation to save lives relinquished?" If overall affiliation over time, based upon an outside source's wants and needs constitutes what one's purpose and meaning is in life then i suppose you believe that the many Jewish people in the holocaust should have continued their suffering after the war ended for the sake of continuity.
As for the Devil's Advocate's "the reason you were accepted is because of devotion to work. if you slack now, you are mocking the very institution you claim to want to be a part of." You are taking entirely too much of a leap in your assumption of our claim to want to take part. At age 3 our parents put us into pre-school we grew up knowing you listen to teachers and you do what adults tell you or you fail, and when you fail you can not be a useful part of society. We were born onto an assembly line, tempered till we were the right shape, the perfect cog for whatever the greater mass of people want us for.
P.S.S. In reference to "us American Children" being soft. If American children are so soft then why do you hear about us slinging crack, killing our little sister's, raping women and murdering our parents? Also is America is the greatest country in the history of the world. You should think twice before you call the future of the greatest country in the world soft. For while you may contest how truly "great" we are, our capabilities of destruction and global annihilation are abundantly clear. We got the most nukes already, just a few years till we're holding the triggers.
;D
Devil’s Advocate… I find your last comment extremely rude and uncalled for. I happen to have a cousin who works at a gas station, and to make the assertion that people who “pump gas” are uneducated only shows that you are both ignorant and pompous. Just because my cousin works at a gas station does not mean he is stupid. He did go to college and he is actually very interesting to talk with. I am glad to see that Oxford has kept up its reputation in educating fine individuals like yourself.
At this point, my opinion on senioritis is repetitive and reflects what many others have said. It all depends on what type of person you are. We all have the right to stop doing our work… it is just a matter of what is important to us and what consequences we fear. Some of us do work because we like “challenging our minds.” Others may hate schoolwork but continue to do it so they get into a good college – but even then, what is the point of going to college? Who knows? We decide for ourselves what is important. As seniors, we have the choice to either do all of our assignments on time, like Chris Seymour, and get into a good college, or be like Mike Cuzzi, complete fewer assignments on time, and still get into a good college.
Maybe if we complete all of our assignments on time we can get into Oxford and turn out to be just like Devil's Advocate.
I do not think a senior can claim the right for a break because they have almost completed 13 years of schooling. The teachers still have to go to work, younger students are going to classes, and outside of school life is still continuing. Adults never get a break from work just because of the length of time they work there; yet they are allowed to get away with more misbehavior. And that is what should be expected by seniors. We do not need a break, but teachers should not expect all assignments to be done on time. If no one is looking at the third and fourth quarter grades, then there is no need to get a perfect score on an assignment. It does not need to be in on time. It does not need to be done.
My lateness in completing this blog basically gives me away of my senioritis affliction. But that's not to say that I consider senioritis as something that is "earned." I think it is just a label to the concept of taking advantage of lenient rules and carefree attitudes of teachers towards their senior students. In some cases, I think teachers enable senioritis: they acknowledge it and change their "rules" and strictness accordingly. They even joke about how seniors have slacked off and have a non-chalant attitude towards it. How can seniors not feel obligated to go along with it? Even if teachers dont enable these sentiments of laziness and sloth, I feel that seniors are elidgible to embrace them. We have worked hard for 4 years (or three and a half) and since we are not in college, but high shcool, it's okay to be a little silly while it's still acceptable, no?
SEAN TOBINS BLOG
I have senoritis. And a fairly severe case at that. My grades are slumping, I feel less enthusiastic, and am becoming increasingly lazy, note the lateness of this assignment as proof. I find little enjoyment in any class and I long to be outside or doing something other than what I should be. After 13 years of highschool I could really care less I guess.... earned it you ask? Not really but the overwhelming fact that the end is plaguing my conscious. Throughout the course of a normal day i deidcate about 2 hours to plain staring outside, allowing my mind roam among the open baseball field or observe a middleschool pick up game. Checking out some crossovers, blocks, and putting together my fantasy team. Usually at this point I realize about fifteen or twenty minutes has passed and casually take an extended bathroom break to further elongate the period of absentmindedness. But what the hell I'm into college already right?
I guess I'm just a weak individual.
I remember back in middle school all of our teachers told us that all of our work had to be handed in on time and nothing could be late, because that's how it is in high school. So of course everything i handed in was on time. Now this is not the case.
I am not going to lie here, I definitely have senioritis. It may have even started after the first 3 months of high school. I began learning each teachers methods. To my surprise, most teachers accepted late work and still gave out full credit. Only few gave out 0's. Perhaps this is where my "slacking attitude" began.
So maybe students like me haven't earned a break; but from the beginning we have had the responsibility to hand in our work or not, fully aware of the consequences. My senior year perhaps has been my laziest year of them all, but after a couple years of practice, i have finally learned the rules to this game they call "high school." So maybe i missed a couple assignments and maybe i handed in late work, but i knew my dead lines and knew all the points i would receive or lose along the way. The result: my GPA is the highest it has ever been.
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