News

Senioritis become resistant strain

Jan 29, 2013

by Emily Moore | co-Editor in Chief

“But if I move speech to fourth period, I can leave after fifth. That’s three whole periods I can pretend I have a job…Why would I do that? That requires effort…I’m a senior though, aren’t we like not supposed to have homework? Seriously, #second semester senior. Haha. Not kidding though, I’m done with school…Can’t I just pretend I go to college?”

You’ve heard them all. You know who there are. You’ve seen their seemingly never ending eyes rolling into their dark, decrepit, cobweb infested brains, and you’ve smelt the coffee seeping out of their pores keeping them awake. Yes, the newest batch of second semester seniors seem to have caught the most infectious, resistant strain of seniortits known to man.

“Freshman year was my first indication of senioritis. We were all friends with seniors. Most of us already have it instilled in us, from when we were kids in freshman year,” senior Steven Lyerly said.

The senioritist infects every part of a senior’s being-reaulting in them being incapable of even attending class.

“Oh yeah, it’s like really bad. Like, last semester, in first period I think I had like twenty-four absences,” senior Jordan Chandler said.

For some, it’s due to a solid place in the workforce, and a steady job that readily funds their late-night Whataburger runs and Halloween costumes for their cats.

“After I leave, I got to work, at Bulverde Creek for KIN. I watch kids everyday,” Lyerly said.

This strain of senioritis makes paying attention to English lectures extremely difficult, but admiring the cats of Instagram very easy.

Others just don’t want eight full periods of hard-earned naps and notes hastily copied down as the bell rings.

“I have five classes. When I leave, I usually go home and sleep. That’s actually all I do. Sleep and lay around at four in the afternoon, why not?” Chandler said.

While senioritis has many onsets and causes, each senior’s case seems to be centered on some desire to get out of high school, of class, of the stereotypical drama scene.

“I feel like, I just want to be in college already. I don’t want to deal with the drama,” Foster said.

“I have senioritis because it’s fun. I don’t want to be in high school anymore. I just want to go to college already. Drama is a big part of it, at least for me,” Lyerly said.

Along with the drama, most seniors feel like they’ve had enough of school – or at least high school.

“We’ve gone to school for too long, and I guess I’m tired of it. It’s boring, and there’s nothing to do. We don’t do anything anymore,” Chandler said.

Despite the headstrong senior’s clench on their symptoms, and personal remedies, teachers are quick to calling their bluff.

“I don’t think they’re tired of school, I don’t, because they’re going to school, so it’s not that. They’re ready to start anew. They’re on the precipice of independence, and that’s what they’re looking forward to. It’s not so much that they want to get out of school, it’s just that they want to end this phase to begin a new part of their education. Or whatever they want to do,” English/ Language Arts teacher Gabriel Oviedo said.

“They feel like they’re done, and they just want to get out of there, so they slack off. I guess there are a few things they could learn if they would let themselves, but they just shut down and then they aren’t going to earn anything. I guess if they go this far, then they’ll be okay,” English/ Language Arts teacher Daniel Farias said.

Teachers see senioritis as a weak, beatable, even curable disease -and shift their methods and approaches to the deadly strain accordingly.

“I think overall that teachers want students to succeed, and by succeed, graduate high school. So, recognizing that some students are a little more absent minded, irresponsible, antsy, excited, a lot of teachers recognize that and work with the student. Recognizing that the student shows some form of responsibility. You have to be some kind of a teacher to each seniors, yes. You have to be more flexible,” Oviedo said.

“I think after a certain part, the teachers realize who the hard workers are, and who the slackers are. So you kind of know who’s already checked out, who’s not even trying, who’s not even showing up. That’s life, though. In the real world, in the real work place, you have people who will go above and beyond what is expected, you have people who do the bare minimum, and then you have the slackers. That’s how the rest of their life is going to be. The people that are working hard, and doing what they’re supposed to, people who only do what is required of them so. It’s not that you can’t fight it, it is just that we’ve gotten used to these work ethics. We either have to accept it or make the adjustments to fix it,” Farias said.

Seniors, even under the unrelenting pulsation of senioritis’ grasp, can manage to pull themselves together and stake a successful claim in the future.

“I don’t know if this will come out right, but high school isn’t for its education; not the specifics of it. It’s good for two things. Number one: to teach them to begin to think. I don’t think any of my students 20 years from now will remember a poem I taught them. That’s number one. Number two: it’s how to socialize. Really, I don’t mean that critically, how to socialise with people and how to interact. College is where you get specific for your career, but that area of academia is useless without that social interaction. Beginning students to think in a social and mature way is what highschool is about. You know, and so, using those criteria, are the seniors prepared to graduate? Yes I think so. Their personality enables them to be independent and hardworking,” Oviedo said.

Even while under the influence of senioritis, seniors can remain completely oblivious to its side effects.

“I don’t know who else has senioritis, because I’m never here,” Chandler said.