Disclaimer: This article focuses solely on college bound high school students. As such, it is only meant to reflect the characteristics of that demographic.
Senioritis may be the most prevelated illness amongst American high schoolers. We work for three years and then, frustrated by the college process and impatient to start our lives as adults, we coast. We ride the wave to June and then walk off with an accredited diploma. Admittedly, our grades might slip a bit, by why care? The purpose of high school is to get into college, or so many of us believe. Assuming that to be true, there is very little motivation (outside of rescindment) to put in effort in the last semester of high school.
Certainly, college acceptance plays an important role in many of our high school experiences. Many of us take Advanced Placement (AP) exams and the SAT in order to increase our appeal to universities. We write and rewrite college essays until we forget what we were even supposed to write about. Applications are tough, and it’s stressful to try to pitch all of who you are into a couple short essays and your transcript. While all of these obstacles make college admissions a serious consideration during your high school career, they should not be the sole reason for a public school education. Regardless of academic performance, high school should equip all students with the knowledge and tools necessary for informed participation in the American democracy. College is important, but it’s not everything.
It is often said that a pillar of the American Dream is hard work and commitment. If high school is meant to educate us in our civic duty, then we have a responsibility to uphold high standards throughout our time in school. Colleges might allow us to slack off in our last semester, but by doing so we neglect our moral obligation.
In this day and age, moral responsibility is an idea often reserved for charitable causes, climate change, etc.. While those are important goals, we should not forget that we also have an obligation to our teachers, our school, and even our country. We are in the enviable position of living in the wealthiest nation on Earth. We are required to attend high school, but to do so is a privilege not a burden.
Our schools are funded by taxes paid for by the American people. Our textbooks, laptops, and school building itself is financed by the hardworking residents of our communities. By not taking our education seriously, we disrespect their contribution to our lives, as well as the immense effort which many teachers and parents have gone to, in order to help us achieve our potential.
We do not exist in a vacuum. The choices we make are not important solely because they affect our college dreams. They reflect our heart condition. Continued work ethic past when it carries immediate practical benefit, is a sign of our respect (or lack thereof) for those who have led us to this point. We have ridden on the backs of others this far, and lying down is a disservice to their love for us.
I am fairly certain that most seniors understand the basic ethics which dictate that they should “work hard” and “act with integrity.” But put into context, these common phrases take on a whole new meaning. Senioritis is not a well-deserved break. It is a deep lack of care for the single mother living paycheck to paycheck who, in part, finances our education.
Feelings of Senioritis. The Impact