• harrison.jpg
    Senior Harrison Larner sleeps through free period rather than working on homework. Sophie Zetzsche.
  • puzzles.jpg
    Senior Grace Kennedy does a puzzle in class instead of listening. Sophie Zetzsche.
  • kyle-e1548959172616.jpg
    Senior Kyle Cleveland games instead of working on homework during free period. Sophie Zetzsche.

Senioritis Plagues Class of 2019

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Although the stomach bug is going around Wesleyan, Senioritis is catching up, taking masses of seniors up in its storm. Senioritis is a disease plaguing second semester seniors across the country. Although some have been infected since August, the disease is just now spreading throughout the entire Wesleyan senior class. The question is: will they make it?

Senioritis, according to Dictonary.com, is the “colloquial term used to describe the decreased motivation towards studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of high school.” This decrease in motivation can come in a variety of ways. Some students resort to not doing their homework, but others lose motivation in the classroom rather than at home. “It is a common theme, said senior Grade Chair Dennis Stromie, “you hate to see it, but you always do.”  Grades start to drop, emails get sent to students, off campus lunch privileges are revoked, and “If it gets too bad, Mr. Koch and I have to do an intervention.  Often the result is seniors finding themselves having “regular fellowship” with Mr. Koch,” said High School Principal, Jeff Plunk.

There are also different cases, according to Senior Grade Chair, Kendra Morris. “Some students go into a total shutdown. You can see nothing is happening in the kid’s face and they just look blank, but pleasant. I know not to take that form personally. The case of senioritis I do not enjoy, are the students who take on a hostile approach. They just don’t turn in an assignment, and act like it will personally offend me. They become self-righteous and just mean. Not turning in a homework assignment will not crush me,” said Morris. Senioritis takes on many different forms and those are just a few of the forms teachers see every year.

Some students lose focus in class, spending their time playing games, like Tetris, Minecraft, Puzzles, Crosswords and many others. “Gaming is a great way to make time go by fast, while sitting in class,” said senior Hannah Hufham. Others listen in class, and choose to procrastinate at home. “There are days when I come home from school and don’t even open my tablet, and if I do, I just watch Netflix,” said senior Sofia Vallejo.

The general morale of the class of 2019 is low at the moment, or in the words of senior Betsy McDaniel “oh my gosh, so low.” Some might even refer to this point as “rock bottom,” said senior Hampton Henderson. Although motivation is dropping, English teacher Dawson Zimmerman, a long-time witness to senioritis, believes to have found a short-term cure: “The best way to stay motivated is for students to incentivize themselves with small treats as rewards. For example, I read ten pages for English, and if I do, I get to eat this entire Reese’s cup.” Another piece of advice is “chocolate is the key to success,” according to Zimmerman.

Another way to stay motivated is to “try to find something within the subject you are in this semester that you have legitimate interested in. Just learn to learn, now that your grades “don’t matter,”” said Morris.

If the class of 2019 listens to the advice given by their teachers and mentors, they are likely not to fall into the clutches of Senioritis. The key is to find something to motivate you.

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