Upon entering High School, one of the first things you learn is to leave the seniors
alone; they are victims of a mad virus called Senioritis. What does this mean? The seniors
can’t just be lazy now that they’re in their last year of high school.
Well, it’s actually a more psychological reason than you may think. Under a veil of
laziness is a generational concept, and a subconscious acceptance of it. Under senioritis,
there are tired and overworked school kids ready for a routine change.
Being a senior in high school marks the period before a big transition. Not only are
they almost adults, but they’re about to leave the school which has controlled their
environment for so much of their critical growth period.
No one is taught how to say goodbye, so how does a senior all of a sudden learn
how to leave behind their friends, teachers, and school? To leave their childhood behind
etched into the walls of the places they’ve been; it could definitely be a protective effort.
When everything feels hopeless, then things lose their meaning.
On the other hand, Senioritis can also be the cause of being excited for the future.
A time to look forward to college, or work, and the life that comes after high school, so
much so that school loses all it’s worth. Senioritis can destroy a student’s work ethic,
especially if no one gives an effort to try and overcome it. However, the feeling of
hopelessness is hard to get over too.
In order to combat Senioritis, it is important to first show students a level of
understanding. We cannot just call them lazy, and uncaring of school. There is a vast
amount of transitional change happening, and so much thinking going on behind the
scenes that can never be fully understood and chalked up to laziness. And there is no true
remedy for Senioritis.
All we can really do, apart from being empathetic, is emphasizing the importance
of finishing on a high note., pushing events that are fun, and helping these seniors find
meaning in some other aspect of high school that keeps pulling them back in.
