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Avoiding Senioritis: I Can’t Wait to Get Out of This Place

Dr. R. Fred Zuker is a featured monthly columnist in the Education section of The Jackson Sun

Avoiding Senioritis: I Can’t Wait to Get Out of This Place

Springtime is when I often hear high school seniors lament that they are sick of school. They are outward bound and ready to go. High school no longer holds any fascination for them. These comments are symptomatic of a condition that all teachers of seniors have encountered, senioritis. Senioritis is the sharply diminished interest that seniors have in the conventional aspects of school life. Symptoms include lack of interest in studies and extracurricular activities, increased attempts to avoid school, physical symptoms such as over sleeping, headaches, and stomachaches and over all malaise. The seniors may be ill tempered and curt. In short, they are hard to live with and probably know it.

When one considers the pressures that comprise the life of the high school senior it is easy to understand why they want down time. Seniors have been reeling under the demands of school, jobs, extra curricular activities, choosing a college, social life and responsibilities at home. An increasing number of older high school students work and assume parental roles in single parent and dual earner households. It is little wonder that these students begin to think of the high school routine as tedium well beneath their status as seniors and undeserving of the energy required to stay engaged with their studies.

Practical Considerations

Many seniors make the mistake of thinking that they have done all the schoolwork they need to do as they near the end of the year. They may have already been admitted to college and consider dropping tougher academic classes or slacking off on their studies with a corresponding drop in their grades. Either of these choices may have serious consequences for the college-bound student.

College admission officers will review all FINAL high school transcripts of students who are planning to enroll for the first time in the following fall. If there has been a significant drop in performance or drop in the number of courses taken the offer of admission and/or scholarship/financial aid may be in jeopardy. It is far better for the senior to stay in the courses they began and to do as well as they can to demonstrate that they remain interested in developing the academic skills they will need in college.

The Best Reason to Hang In There

Even though substantial drop in effort may be a problem for the senior the best reason to stay connected with school is to better prepare for the impending demands of the college classroom. Seniors who lose interest in their final days of high school will find it much harder to reengage the much more stringent demands of college professors.

High school faculty and administrators will do well to remember that the same old delivery of instruction to high school seniors nearing graduation will have predictable results. The seniors will quickly show their disinterest and disdain. Teachers who vary their approach by offering group study assignments, seminar-type discussions, field trips, in-class demonstrations, visiting speakers and student-designed and directed activities will be rewarded with more engaged, less sullen seniors. An appreciation of the unique role of seniors who are on the verge of leaving the nest will go far to mitigate their natural tendency toward disengagement and rebellion.

The routine at home may also be adjusted to give the high school senior a little freedom from some of the more tedious aspects of life. Relief from babysitting duties or certain onerous chores may give the senior acknowledgment of their status. Seniors should not feel they are absolved of all responsibility from their home responsibilities but a little recognition of their status will be appreciated.

Things to Keep in Mind

  • It is entirely understandable that seniors crave a little relaxation from the demands of the academic whirl of the high school routine.
  • Seniors need to maintain their usual level of academic program and achievement or possibly incur the wrath of the admission office when their final transcripts are reviewed.
  • Seniors should remember that sustained effort in their academic work might better prepare them for the rigors of the college classroom.
  • High school teachers are strongly encouraged to create different approaches to seniors to keep them interested and better prepare them for the collegiate academic environment.
  • Parents should keep in mind that seniors have worked hard all year long and may need a change in routine at home to help them avoid the home version of senioritis.

Senioritis is a fact of high school life and should be understood by parents, teachers and school administrators for what it is. Seniors crave relief from what they perceive to be the tedium of school life. Parents and school officials who are able to adjust to this reality and offer positive alternatives to seniors will find them much more likely to stay connected and interested and finish their school careers on a positive note.

R. Fred Zuker, Ph.D.
President
Lambuth University

Lambuth University • 705 Lambuth Boulevard • Jackson, TN 38301 • 1-800-LAMBUTH • Dr. R. Fred Zuker, President
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