I've done some research into exploring the causes of Senioritis and perhaps this will give all you students struggling with or worried about getting the disease some insight to the problem. I think the common myth behind seniors' tendency to slack off is a lack of care or a change of attitude. I want to argue otherwise. Everyone says junior year is the toughest but my friends and I have noticed that first quarter senior year has been by far the most stressful. We are in the most advanced classes as we have ever been in before, and yet it is as if we are taking an extra class on top of it all with the college work we are doing. Overwork may seem like illegitimate excuse especially in the eyes of parents, but they must understand that they experienced a completely different school atmosphere than is present today. The stressful conditions under which students now are forced to learn in are causing an opposite effect as to what was intended. School educators who advocate intense learning environments want their students to be effective and hard-working, yet I believe I am discovering enough evidence to suggest that under this pressure students respond by doing the exact opposite.
This is just a theory, and I will further study its validity as I progress through senior year. But as for now, one thing is for sure: I certainly feel like the student on the left, overworked but still motivated. Hopefully, I do not turn into the figure on the right, but who knows what the results might be. Some say Senioritis is inevitable, but hopefully I will not allow the first quarter stress to get the best of me.
