I looked, but did not find.
Lots of them. What exactly do you mean by senioritis? Slacking off or something more serious like depression?
Was your 18-year old admitted somewhere, and the concern is admission might be revoked?
Get through it! Your nearly adult is chomping at the bit. My son was against slackers before he was a senior. Then- thank goodness HS was over when it was. I guess you can remind them they need too keep their grades up, especially if first semester was bad for not doing work.
My 18-year has been admitted to several places, one particularly good option, but still awaiting the results of the regular decision round to decide where to go. Has worked incredibly hard the past 12 months and is visibly exhausted. First semester grades are excellent. We are all proud. I don’t think my kid will now flunk out or do so badly that admission will be rescinded. Nor do I think scary misbehavior is a danger, nor do I think skipping school will happen (cross my fingers). But frankly, I don’t think it necessary to be Tiger Parentish about straight A’s this coming semester. Mild senioritis might be time to put the engine into lower gear, have some fun, be less tense and worried, find time to return to some interests that got put away during the intense run-up to testing and applications., although some effort does need to go into the AP foreign language test… … I am also wondering about lightening up on things like curfew, tech use, etc. And I am wondering how other parents (especially the been there done that parents) think about the issue, how much senioritis or ‘slacking off’ feels tolerable, what household routines or rules you started to let go of if you already hadn’t done so. It is last semester before our kids leave home!
We wreaked havoc on my DD her senior year because we were moving out of state. Our household was in turmoil with selling the house, DH commuting betweeen states, etc. She spent way more times with her friends, went on extra school trips, etc… Curfew was dictated by the state’s graduated license as she didn’t turn 18 until after graduation. Lots more sleep overs though! Interestingly she never slacked on her school work.
@KeyDad001 , it sounds like you don’t have a lot to worry about, and are thinking about the right things. The big worries are Ds and Fs, or skipping tons of school. I know that our high school expects some senioritis especially after spring break and tones things down a bit except for AP preparation. I do think we can all take our foot off the pedal so to speak, and yes…get back to some non academic interests and hobbies!
As for home, I do think some further steps towards independence/loosening of parental reins can help build the skills for when they are truly on their own. I know I’ve already loosened up on the curfew because he’s proven himself reliable and trustworthy. However, I plan on actually “tightening” things like chores. I admittedly have taken over/not enforced some of this stuff as DS got through the testing and application seasons, but plan to add on more over summer so that he will be in good shape to be a considerate roommate and be up to speed on laundry, cleaning, stuff like that. As for tech use, right now it is balanced but that is something I will have to watch over summer…I think it can be quite habit forming and I don’t want to send DS off to college having spent the summer gaming or on his phone the majority of each day!
I already have one in college (sophomore) and while she was more up to speed on laundry/food stuff, I think there was just a natural letting go of some of our limits or rules, gradually and again, happened because she had built up trust and shown good decision making. By this time, a lot of the foundation/background is set, so it might be just fine-tuning as they are so close to being on their own. Or looking out for patterns/habits/decisions that could cause problems. I believe many of our seniors are ready to spread their wings too and looking ahead to the big change coming. We don’t want our last summer to be one filled with conflict and nagging, but also I personally don’t subscribe to the “you’re 18, I instantly have no control over you any more” school of thought. For me it will be a balance between letting go and making some subtle efforts to firm up the foundation!
We attended a senior college night in January of our DD senior year and the advice was “ keep your nose to the grindstone.” I asked why. Why shouldn’t they let their grades slip a little relax and have fun. Why would it matter if their A,s became B’s?
They talked about recission of admissions. I said, for B’s? They hemmed and hawed til finally they admitted, no not for B’s. But it’s not a good idea, they said. Again I said WHY? They couldn’t say. Finally one of the other parents said “ Wow, you guys are like Puritans, you have the overwhelming fear that some student somewhere is having fun. It’s ridiculous. “
Everybody applauded.
With my second kid , based on what I knew about her school and how AP exam grades would not matter at all ( she could get no credit for it and based on her course of study could not affect placement) , I absolutely refused to let her take the exams second semester. The school was livid but my kid thanked me profusely for not putting her through what her sister found to be a total waste of time.
Also I stopped monitoring tech when they went into HS. Unless there was a problem I wasn’t going to tell them how to manage their time. If there had been an issue I would have gotten involved but there never was.
One can slack off during second semester, but one should fulfill the academic obligations signed up for, including any final exams or tests.
When you take AP classes at our school you are not asked to make any agreement to take AP tests. Many kids who are going to elite schools have stopped taking the tests second semester senior year because those schools don’t give any sort of credit for it. The school isn’t happy about it but have come to the conclusion there’s nothing they can do about it.
Few teenagers have the know-how and finesse to know exactly what amount of academic neglect will land them safely into a B rather than a C or D. The College Counselors, whose main job is to help get kids into schools, were doing their job for students that they care about, and they do not deserve to be publicly ridiculed for giving their best advice.
Well, the school could fail one for not taking the final (which is the AP test, for us). Our high school does.
That’s interesting- our school does not require students to take the AP exams.
I think this is worth reposting.
Would you want a tax advisor to tell you much tax evasion their other clients get away with? Cold comfort if you did the same and you were the one that was audited. The GCs were saying what they had to say - keep up your grades!
ahhh…the last six month of HS for Goskid 2: the Shortest and the Longest six months of my life. Short, because my baby would be leaving the nest–so that part went incredibly fast. Long, because I had to hold my breath through that last semester. Once he was accepted, I’m not sure I ever saw him open a book or study and well, let’s just say he was not the model child after school hours, pushing the limits every. single. day. Just prayed he wouldn’t flunk/get kicked out/get arrested.
This too shall pass. Mine is now five months from completing his Masters. Looking back, I’d say, lighten up (but keep eye on the prize) and let your kid (and you) enjoy this time.
“ Few teenagers have the know-how and finesse to know exactly what amount of academic neglect will land them safely into a B rather than a C or D. “
Almost every straight A student in my kids top tier classes knew how to do so expertly. Each had the ability to calculate their grades at any time to the nearest decimal. Many allowed themselves that room, to not fret over the extra credit and the perfect study guide that last semester. I thank goodness that many who needed the break desperately before intense college careers got it as I and several other parents of the top kids actively encouraged a bit of slacking. It was the best parental decisions I ever made. “Keep your nose to the grindstone” woukd have been terrible for my kid. But if you feel your kid isn’t the type who could handle it, sure, encourage them not to relax for second semester.
@KeyDad001 , we’ve been gradually loosening up on those things during high school. With no visible effect on grades or behavior over that time, we were happy to keep going that route. I’d find it more difficult to have been strict on things all the way through and suddenly relax restrictions just before she’s about to leave home. This way we are already comfortable that she’s good with managing her own time and still getting things done.
D19 is already in at a school - got her ED decision a month before she wrote her semester finals and has actually raised her GPA in S1. She will commit to exams, APs included, during S2 because that’s just the way she does things. All that said she is already visibly more relaxed, has taken on a new job that she’s enjoying, and seems set for a happy ending to high school. Couldn’t ask for anything more. Of course…we will still be keeping a close but unobtrusive eye. She’s very excited about college at the moment, but I suspect that at some point the reality of leaving home is going to hit her as well.
“Well, the school could fail one for not taking the final (which is the AP test, for us). Our high school does”
Not at our public school where 1) second semester seniors don’t take finals and 2) they couldn’t require student to pay for taking the exam.
My DS’s school seems to be helping the kids slack off. He hasn’t had this little homework since he was in elementary school! Even with 3 AP classes! Last semester was awful & was very stressed out. He did ok academically, but got a C for the first time ever. He worked very hard for that C! So far he’s doing better this semester (both in grades and stress-wise). He’s not putting forth anywhere near the effort as before, even though his classes are exactly the same.