The Dangers Of The Fourth Marking Period

 As spring break draws to a close and the fourth marking period sets in, students pull their shorts and flip flops out of storage and turn their attention to the quickly approaching summer break.  We have persevered through agonizing hours of studying and endured countless homework assignments. And now, after over 7 months, we have found ourselves at the best part of the entire school year: the end of it.

 The fourth quarter of the school year brings excitement and anticipation for everyone. For students, it means the last 9 weeks of tests, homework, and waking up early. For teachers, it means the last 9 weeks of grading papers, planning classes, and putting up with uncooperative students. It also means prom, graduation, spring sports, and beautiful weather. How could there possibly be any downside to this wonderful time of year?

 As unfathomable as it may seem, there are some negative aspects to the end of the school year that I have observed since the fourth quarter began less than two weeks ago.  The main causes for these downsides are the very things that make the end of the school year great. The warm weather shifts students’ brains from thinking about their study plans to thinking about their summer plans. The extensive list of upcoming events turns attention from looking for the answers on classwork to looking for the perfect prom dress and graduation party invitations.  Add all of this together (if you can wrap your head around solving equations at this time of year) and it equals one big student body with an even bigger lack of focus.  And we all know that if there’s one thing that’s detrimental to learning and succeeding, it’s a lack of focus.

 It seems as though in most instances, students mimic what their friends do and their friends are often following the example set by the older kids. If this is true, seniors can often be held responsible for behavioral changes in a student body at any given school. Sometimes these influences can be good; when seniors are more school spirited, so is the rest of the school. But towards the end of the year, the severe forms of senioritis that the members of the class of 2012 are faced with have become extremely contagious, creating new and never-before-seen cases of junioritis, sophomoritis, and even freshmanitis. Over the past few weeks, it’s been evident that many students in all grades are consistently “forgetting” to do homework and neglecting to follow the study skills that they have exercised throughout the rest of the year. The rising temperatures have apparently wiped our brains clear of the ability to concentrate on anything related to school.  

 And teachers, though often still eager to continue filling the minds of their students with the knowledge from their subjects, seem to have caught the fourth quarter bug as well. I can’t help but notice that even though it’s only the beginning of the marking period, some of my teachers have started to grade easier and assign less work than they have in the past three quarters.

 Are we all just too anxious for the end of the school year? Being enthusiastic about summer break is expected, but unfortunately we need to realize that there is still time left and maintaining focus is critical even though we may not think it is. We have worked hard for the past 27 weeks and giving up now is extremely destructive to both the school environment and to our individual GPAs. If I have learned anything from playing sports, it’s that you give your 100% until the clock runs out. The same should be true with school. All of us need to continue in our quest for knowledge by performing to the best of our abilities right up until the very end.  The sooner we end the countdowns ‘til summer, the sooner that final bell on June 11 will ring.

 And hey, by that time we might not even really want school to be over.  Regardless of what some of us often think, high school is going by fast and pretty soon, it’s going to be over. We may not realize it now but we will undoubtedly miss being in high school at some point in the near future. These are supposed to be the best years of our lives and we only get to live them once. So to all the students out there who have lost their focus somewhere in the mayhem of the fourth quarter, continue to be excited about your summer plans but also remember to slow down and take it all in. As long as you find a way to coax your motivation out of hiding and finish out these last few weeks strong, I can promise that summer will be here before you know it.