Got Senioritis? Let's Fix It!

Thank you for waiting so long for this post. I was really sick last week. This is the latest I’ve ever been with posting an article, but this is also the most researched post I’ve made. My research didn’t come from Google, it came from teachers - teachers with years of experience with Grade 12 students. Since I didn’t get a chance to speak to all of the teachers I had planned to, last week, I had to delay this post. But now, we’re going to talk about Senioritis and ways to pull yourself through it, according to Grade 12 teachers.

Senioritis is the condition a student in their senior year of high school, college or university may get. They start to lose motivation to do homework and assignments or may even begin to self-sabotage their grades due to the fear of their applications being rejected. It may just seem like lethargy or burnout, but it can become a serious problem if not managed properly.

I asked 5 teachers about how they recommend students combat with senioritis and they had similar yet different ideas. Here’s what they had to say:

Teacher 1 (Currently, a Guidance Counsellor):

“To get over your lack of motivation, think about the chain of events that’ll take place if you don’t finish the task on hand or do it poorly. If you have an assignment, and you think of slacking and procrastinating, think of what that will result in. You will end up with a bad mark and that will affect your grade. Get a bad grade and your university offers are at risk of being rescinded. Have your offer rescinded and you won’t get to go to your choice of post-secondary school. You might get into college but even they reserve spots for students who deserve it before they allow for more applications to be considered. Without a good post-secondary education, you have an unlikely chance of getting a good job. Without a good job, you’ll be unhappy and probably not very wealthy. Without money, you’ll have a hard time making ends meet and that’ll just add to how crappy life can turn out. It’s a little far fetched and dark to think about, but it happens more often than you think it does. So, if you feel a lack of motivation, just think of the consequences you’ll face if you don’t finish your work and use that fear to drive you to finish the task on hand and get out of the rut you feel you are in.”

Teacher 2 (Currently, an English Teacher):

“Sometimes you just have to push past the lack of motivation. You know you have to do it, so why not give it your best shot? Unless you have some sort of backup plan, this is the only option you have. You have to graduate, and for that, you need good grades in all your classes, so let your work count. It’s okay to feel lazy once in a while and procrastinate a little, here and there, but control how much you procrastinate so you don’t run out of time to make your work good. Just do it. Just sit down and don’t get up until you have finished a satisfying amount, an amount that will allow you to take a break without feeling guilty.”

Teacher 3 (Currently, an English Teacher, not the same as the above): (this one was my favourite)

“Oh, a lot of people seem to be going through this. I would say that there are only 2 solid months left of school. In 2 weeks, you’ll have your March Break and in June, time will fly with your ISUs and exams. The 2 months in between, April and May, won’t take too long to pass either. Enjoy the time you have left of school and make it count. To help bring back the motivation, break your time down into sections, or checkpoints. Make the first checkpoint the Friday before March Break. Write down everything you have to get done. And work on it a little every day so you’ll finish everything in time for the break and won’t have any homework to do. Relax during the break and clear your mind. Come prepared for the next two months. Plan what you need to accomplish in those two months. I know a lot of teachers give you submission dates for assignments, so if you already know what you have to hand in, get working. You know you have to do an ISU presentation, so start thinking about what you’ll say. You know you have to write an essay, start jotting down pointers for ideas. Just do whatever you can to push through the next two months because, after that, you’ll be in university/college. And that will be such a great experience, probably even the best you’ll have.”

Teacher 4 (Currently, a Social Science Teacher):

“Senioritis is this phenomenon where the student, fearful of rejection, shoots themselves in the foot (metaphorically). They self-sabotage their chances of getting into university and that risks their application. The best way to get through this is to first acknowledge that you are doing this. Acknowledge that you are scared of what might happen if you don’t get into your choice of university. Then, try to come up with a plan for what you will do if the worst-case scenario really happens. Will you come back to high school to improve your grades in certain classes? Will you go to college and then transfer to a university? Will you try a different field or try a trade? Once you have a plan ready, you’ll feel less anxious about rejection. You’ll know that your life will not fall apart because of one rejection. In the scheme of life, your education tales up only a small part of it. There is much more to experience and as long as you are giving your best, you’ll be fine. Lastly, focus on the now. There isn’t much you can do to control the future, but you can certainly control your present. Give your best shot and you will, for sure, succeed.”

Teacher 5 (Currently, a Librarian):

“Lack of motivation can be because of so many things. The most common reason is when you are bored with what you are doing. It may be repetitive, monotonous, just a dull task. Break your patterns. If you’ve been living with a routine, break it up, switch it up. Try something new. Try something fun. Exercise. Eat healthily. Sleep properly. Get out and get some fresh air. Break your study sessions down to a little bit of study and a little bit of downtime. Take care of yourself. Basically, do what any self-care book would tell you to do. They tend to give you this sense of wanting to fix your life, and that is exactly the motivation a senior is looking for.”

I believe all of these methods are wonderful to help you get back on track if you’ve been feeling off lately. At the end of the day, you are your top priority. Take care of your physical and mental health and the motivation will come sprinting right at you. I had a lot of fun asking my teachers for advice. Tell me if there’s anything else you’d like to know a teacher’s perspective on.