As the weather gets warmer, students tend to lose motivation. For some, it may mean they don’t do as well in school, sports, or extracurricular activities. Because of this, academics and the motivation of students suffer at the end of the year. Do teachers really notice the decline in effort and morale students may show before the beginning of summer?
Since the school year is almost over, a nice three month break sounds amazing to many students as they get closer and closer to burnout from the stress of prioritizing academics. Junior Delany Lynch feels that as summer aproaches, she wants nothing more than to be done with school. “I just feel like I’m getting so burnt out… I don’t have any fuel to run on,” Lynch said.
At BSM, teachers are generally considerate of the students’ emotional needs at the end of the year, and do their best to make sure that everyone finishes the year in a comfortable manner. Most teachers try to be accommodating to the needs of students as the year wraps up. It’s important to note that they were once students too, so they know how it feels to balance nicer weather with school assignments. Theology teacher Charlie Keyes thinks that all students get a bit distraught as summer nears. “[Keeping] the motivation to do well in school… becomes a lot harder,” Keyes said.
(Former) Director of Faith and Mission Nick Brady notices that as the temperature rises up and summer draws closer students lose energy, as they anticipate summer freedom. Some exciting and distracting things may be summer trips, boating, or anything that gets their “personal battery” recharged. “Academically, students get to this time of year, and are perhaps feeling tired and things kind of slow down a bit,” Brady said.
English teacher Anne Marie Dominguez does her best to be attentive to her students’ needs. She feels as if teachers also get distracted towards the end of the year and they can’t just pile on loads of work to their students. One fun thing that Ms. Dominguez does to keep her students engaged in class is incorporating fun activities into class. She understands that students may lose some reading comprehension as the year comes to an end. She includes fun interactive activities regarding the books her class reads. “I think most teachers are pretty aware that [students] are going to be losing gas in April and May,” Dominguez said.