If you don’t know what senioritis is, don’t worry, there isn’t another virus or disease you have to worry about. The most damage it does is usually to one’s grades. But many believe there is no cure. The definition for “senioritis” is a supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance. This makes sense, considering that seniors are so close to being done with high school, but still feel like it is so far away. Focusing on their current schoolwork can become difficult when they are also focusing on what they are planning on doing after high school. On the other hand, why would a lack of motivation happen during such an important year? 

Shayne Steiner, a math teacher at Rocky Mountain, said, “I honestly feel it is because they are so close to starting a new chapter in their lives. Some have already turned 18, or are close to turning 18, they are about to embark on adulthood for the first time, they might already have been accepted into a college, military, or whatever they wish to embark in, yet they are held back by these final months of what they may deem to be ‘apart of childhood’. And once they get back from spring break, with the nice weather and the sun being out later, the last thing you want to do is focus on schoolwork.” 

Pushing through and finding motivation through this especially tough year is easier said than done. This year has been a curveball thrown at seniors who never pictured their last year of high school with half the class, very few sporting events open for support from fellow students, and switching between working on a computer all day or being in the classroom. There is also the question of if there will be a graduation; with seemingly nothing to look forward to, it is easy to lose the end goal. 

Kaimbry Brush, a student at Rocky Mountain, said, “It can be hard to stay motivated when I am so close to being done with high school but at the same time feel like time is moving so slowly this year.” 

Seniors aren’t the only ones that suffer from the effects of senioritis; teachers are the ones that have to deal with their students losing motivation in their classes. It’s hard on them when students stop doing or turning in their work on time, when they aren’t studying for tests, or when they won’t even show up to class. It can be difficult when the teachers are trying so hard to help their students understand and do when in the class and get no effort back.  

Steiner said, “From a teaching standpoint, I see seniors not turning in material, not putting forth the effort needed to understand the content that I am trying to teach them, and not buying into the importance of the material. From my own personal experience as a senior, I started to get lazy. I started calculating what I needed to get done in order to maintain a grade in my class, and my lack of caring of what I was learning greatly increased. Especially after Spring break.” 

Seniors need to learn to prioritize and focus on their current work and assignments. Senioritis won’t go away magically so they need to find solutions that work best for them.  

Sydney Ross, a student at Rocky Mountain, said, “A way that I cope with senioritis is I just get my assignment done as soon as I can and as its assigned, so I don’t procrastinate and stress about it later.” 

Finding a cure for their senioritis is only something seniors can do to try and stay motivated to finish out the year. They are almost ¾ of the way there, so make it count!