Washington Post: "In Praise of Senioritis"

Parents Forum
1

<p>A remembrance of when high school life wasn't so high strung.....</p>

<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/03/AR2008020302355.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/03/AR2008020302355.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>excerpts

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When I was in high school, nobody worried about slacking off during senior year. Stanford, Yale, U-Va. and the other brand-name colleges weren't so important then. We didn't have three-hour Advanced Placement exams ruining the lovely May weather. Cutting school for some beach time was not just tolerated, it was an expected rite of passage. </p>

<p>High school is different now. My generation's lighthearted approach to the second semester of 12th grade has acquired a pathological label, "senioritis," which gets 141,000 hits on Google. Some 17-year-olds do in fact become severely distracted, but to some experts, even delaying homework awhile to sniff the flowers is a sign of a potentially damaging ailment, for which we have created the tax-supported National Commission on the High School Senior Year to find a cure. </p>

<p>I have to wonder: Why is it that we parents and educators who warn fun-loving seniors that they could have their college admission letters revoked are the same people who also wring our hands over the academic stresses of high school? Harvard's admissions and financial aid dean, William Fitzsimmons, laments college graduates who sound as though they've been on a rat-cage treadmill since they were 13. Once you're in the habit of treating every assignment as critical to your future, it's hard to regain perspective. Isn't the second half of senior year, with college applications turned in -- in some cases with an admission letter in your pocket -- the perfect time to try out a balanced life?

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Some educators have begun to explore the alternatives. Robyn Lady, head counselor at Fairfax County's Chantilly High School, said, "I have always encouraged seniors to relax and enjoy their last year of high school." Montgomery County just changed the rules so that seniors who are taking an Advanced Placement exam no longer have to take their classroom teacher's final, too. </p>

<p>But many high-octane students play it safe. Textbook pages are still memorized. Old exams are mastered. Anything less than a perfect score is cause for concern. Such students need to discover that that is not the way creative and productive work is done in college, or in life. The important part of the learning process is not pounding in the material but thinking it over, talking about it, coming up with new and intriguing ways of connecting it to the rest of the world. </p>

<p>So this spring, why not use those daunting AP exams as a path to sanity through senioritis? Forget about cramming until 3 a.m. Order a pizza, have your friends over and just talk, maybe about the course, maybe not. Go to bed when you feel like it. Have a nice sleep. </p>

<p>You don't need to ace the exam. It's May, for heaven's sake. You already got into college. AP scores don't count on your report card. And anyway, you can miss most of the multiple-choice questions on an AP exam and still get the top grade if you do well on the free response questions. This is how the smartest college kids do it. Don't grind. Think. You, too, can be in tune with all parts of your life, if you learn to appreciate the easier rhythms of your last months in K-12 and never, ever think of them as a slump.

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2

<p>Our school district recently changed required senior courses to two semester courses rather than one year long course. That way seniors could no longer work hard the first semester and then slack off the second semester and get a passing average yearly grade. Now they will not pass the second half of the course if they get senioritis second semester.
I am so happy that my youngest is graduating this year .... I'm tired LOL</p>

3

<p>As a daily Washington Post reader, I'm a big Jay Mathews fan, even when I disagree with him. This time he's taken the words out of my mouth (though I couldn't say it as well). As a parent, I have senioritis, too. Instead of asking my son if he's done his homework, I'm going to ask him if he's making progress in planning that end-of-the-year camping trip with his friends.</p>

<p>JM is right on the mark: "The important part of the learning process is not pounding in the material but thinking it over, talking about it, coming up with new and intriguing ways of connecting it to the rest of the world." High school needs to be more like this. Maybe for some kids senioritis is slacking off, but for mine it's a genuine weariness with the system.</p>

4

<p>I dont know what planet this guy is from but the term senioritis was common back in my hs days 40+ years ago. And yes I caught the contagion to the point of skipping out of school at lunch to play cards and getting caught in the process with minor consequences by a sympathetic principal.</p>

<p>As for our ds, he was never an intensively driven student, more of a conscientious plodder. And as far as I could tell he continued plodding on to graduation and into college where he eventually found his academic fire.</p>

<p>I do agree with the JM point noted by geezermom though. Eventually in hs, learning must move beyond pounding the material in to learning to creatively apply knowledge.</p>

5

<p>I think my son's school had a great approach to this.
After March of the student's senior year each student had to participate in a "senior project" of his/her own design. The proposal for how they would spend their time was due in January and had to pass a committee.
They were accountable for 40 hours of time per week---many students did internships--in political campaigns, day care centers, atheletic coaching, one worked as a chef in a restaurant, another as a police dispatcher etc
They had to read a book that was relevant to their chosen experience. They could also take some 'fun courses"--my son took American Sign Language.
At the end they were required to write a paper describing their experience.
Successful completion of this with documented hours was required for graduation (and yes, those that did not put in their full 40 hours did not graduate).
It was a nice way to let the kids "slack" alittle bit, but help them be accountable for their own time management and let them immerse themselves in something they loved</p>

6

<p>I know this is a little off topic, but my daughter unexpectedly ended up applying to transfer after her freshman year from an excellent college where she had been accepted ED to a highly selective college which accepts only a small percentage of transfer applicants. As part of the transfer application, her high school transcript was reviewed. It never crossed my mind or my daughter's mind when she was a senior in h.s. that she might be applying to transfer one year later, but her first college did not turn out to be the right place for her and she was very unhappy there. It is very fortunate that she did not slack off as a h.s. senior, or it is likely that she would not have been accepted to transfer to her new school, which is perfect for her both socially and academically. It's just something else for everyone to think about.</p>

7

<p>Senioritis is why our school sent us off on internships after APs. I worked in the offices of the Washington Monthly. :)</p>

8

<p>Agree with most of what the article says. But I'm not sure it makes sense to blow off studying for AP Exams. It's not THAT easy to get 4s and 5s - and that's what most college accept for credits. My s got LOTS of credits and can have more flexibility with study abroad during a semester - maybe even take an 8 month internship or coop without worrying about extending graduation. Looking back on it though, I would tell him to take less (he was loaded up with APs- five in his senior year...and some VERY hard ones).</p>

9

<p>@ mathmom</p>

<p>My high school also had required community service/internships for seniors in the second semester. It really helped the students to concentrate on their schoolwork while at the same time pursue something fun and different.</p>

10

<p>@motheroftwo, I absolutely agree with you! I told my brother to keep up with his grades this semester as he's not exactly getting into top schools that he's dreamed of (didn't apply there). I didn't think I'd actually end up transferring either and I'm very glad that I ended my high school career on a higher note than in the beginning of my senior year. Colgate certainly made a note of my rising GPA trend and accepted me for transfer (big change from a rejection a year earlier!) :)</p>

<p>There should be some kind of balance, really. Just maintain the GPA but don't let it drop an entire letter grade or something like that.</p>

<p>Getting 4s and 5s on AP exams are very reasonable with consistent studying (with the exception of AP Psych). Before cracking the books for the exams, seniors should make note of their chosen college's AP policies to see if it's worth their time and energy in taking the AP exams. For example, had I known that Smith wouldn't really let anyone with AP Econ background (even perfect 5s) move into upper level econ classes, I wouldn't have studied (or signed up!) for the exam and thus given more time to study for my AP US Gov't exam and English. Those AP credits are VERY valuable if used wisely- couldn't have done my semester abroad with those.</p>

11

<p>It was physically painful to me to watch my son's senioritis. He had gotten all his acceptances, finished his grad challenge project and I knew he couldn't screw up badly enough to have his acceptance to his chosen school rescinded. But he couldn't let go of doing his best and yet he couldn't force himself to start homework before 2am. I was worried about him falling asleep at the wheel more than anything. Glad that's over!</p>

12

<p>I"m a HS student myself and I couldn't agree more with this article. Though, t does make it much harder when teachers don't let students relax after it's basically over. In my school, there was a senior cut day where probably...85% of my grade cut/got signed out/called in sick. Teachers were students for being absent (and took it personally in many cases) and just making it difficult. It's very hard to do as it says when educators expect something more.</p>

<p>Yes, it might be hard for a parent to watch. But, my parents have been actually encouraging...</p>

13

<p>I love the idea of kids having an opportunity to step out of the rat race, but I don't think that they should be put in the position of having to break the rules to do it.</p>

<p>In other countries, they can do it openly.</p>

<p>In the U.K., the gap year between secondary school and university is almost standard, and for many young people, it can provide exactly the kind of break from constant academic toil that they need.</p>

<p>In Ireland, there is something called the Transition Year, not entirely required but increasingly expected, that comes before the final two years of secondary education. During this year, students spend much of their time on non-academic subjects, volunteer work, and/or work placements, rather than the standard academic curriculum, which resumes in full force the next year.</p>

<p>If we could institutionalize something similar to either of these two customs, I think our kids would be better off.</p>

14

<p>Yeah, we joked about it--he said he knew he could probably slack off at that point, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. </p>

<p>asdfjkl1</p>

<p>I'm with you in spirit. My son's misery only lasted a month or so because his grad challenge project was directing a play in the spring. I'd highly recommend seniors to find an absorbing task to keep themselves connected as long as possible. Wow, this just brings back the late night feelings when I'd finally go to bed, knowing he'd be up for hours and finally force himself to get his work done.</p>

<p>cross-posted with Marian</p>

<p>I totally agree and if my son wants a gap at any point, he knows he can take one.</p>

15

<p>My friends joke I've been slacking since 7th grade. Really, I haven't. I just..am a really calm person who knows the line between when to care and when not to care. Well, I've been trying to absorb myself in MUN and politics. But, there's only so much you can do. The problem is when you get the hardest part done--and you're just without a task. I've also taken up learning French!</p>

<p>I just think it's terrible how teachers gripe about how kids today never take a break and smell the roses. So, tell us it's OKAY not to come to school. Honestly, my accounting teacher had the best advice, "Save your days up for the end of the year when you're going to wish you're at the beach." I'm just a tad miserable on here with all these kids stressing it about one B killing their average. Honestly, this MP...and last MP, I've had the best grades I've ever had. And the most relaxation I've ever had. I think the most important part is making a habit of seeing friends every weekend and realizing that HS really doesn't matter anymore. </p>

<p>Cue "No Such Thing" by John Mayer.</p>

<p>Next week, I'm getting called in (by my mom) so I can chill with my cousins while giving tours of Manhattan!</p>

16

<p>fyi, a 2006 Time Mag article on "How to Combat Senioritis"
<a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1191831,00.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1191831,00.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
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Early symptoms of the disease--lethargy, lack of focus, difficulty making decisions--often appear in the fall. By spring the average, healthy high school senior may have completely succumbed. Senioritis attacks high-achieving, average and struggling students alike. By this time in the school year, most college-bound seniors have turned in their applications and received their acceptance letters. Many of them understandably feel entitled to a little downtime. The 30% of seniors who aren't headed for higher learning may not have figured out what they want to do after graduation, but they are pretty sure that it won't require algebra or Shakespeare.

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"Senior year in the U.S. has been based on the 19th century premise that 80% of students will go back to the farm after graduation," says Stanford University education professor Michael Kirst, who co-wrote the 2004 book From High School to College. "In small ways, people are starting to reclaim senior year." Those efforts include internships that keep seniors motivated by allowing them to explore their passions, dual-enrollment programs on college campuses that offer a sneak preview of the higher-education experience and tests designed to alert those likely to have trouble keeping up in college that they should buckle down.

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<p>no rest for the weery....

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The best cure for some cases of senioritis is a strong dose of reality. More than 50% of students entering college in the U.S. require remedial course work once on campus. Two years ago, the California State University system launched the Early Assessment Program (EAP), which encourages 11th-graders to take a test to gauge their college readiness in English and math. Some juniors who expect to coast to college find out they will have to work even harder their senior year to improve the skills they will need to thrive in a Cal State school. Other students who had not considered themselves college material discover that they are better equipped than they thought and are inspired to make the most of their final high school year and start thinking of college as a serious option.

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17

<p>My parents are still pushing me to get good grades, even though I'm a second semester senior. It sucks, I am not going to stress myself about grades or anything though.</p>

18

<p>The need to get 4's and 5's on those AP tests...
At my D's HS, after the AP tests, the seniors are mostly out "on senior project" so they can relax then, anyway. Actually, senior project begins sort of in the middle of the AP test period.</p>

19

<p>I've already done my senior research paper--my key to graduation. And I got a good grade on it, too! So, technically I'm done other than APs, acceptances and actual graduation! I used to think that graduation was so far off. It's incredible to think it's happening so soon!</p>

20

<p>Senioritis was a non-issue for me. I never did work for grades, my parents never bugged me about grades, so I didn't get what all the hoopla was about "not really caring" anymore. I didn't really "care" to begin with....</p>

<p>What's to me so unfortunate is that students (or is it their teachers? their parents? college admissions "professionals"?) are training themselves how to work for grades rather than work for the sake of working. I know it's as trite a saying as can be, but I do think it's terrible that students can "reward" themselves at the end of a stressful experience by avoiding work.</p>

<p>It would be great to see high school curricula and the approach to a grading scale rewritten in a way that put the student more in the driver's seat. Of course, you still need algebra, calculus, Ethan Frome, Shakespeare, Pasteur, and the American Revolution, but these things are exciting and important for a reason, but I think there are ways in which students and teachers can become more engaged with the subject at hand above regurgitation and/or test prep, which I personally could never get myself to do.</p>

<p>.... and my grades went up during that time of "senioritis."</p>