Regardless of your year group, every student should finish strong and be proud of what he/she has accomplished. It is right about now, if not earlier, that students begin to complain of fatigue and the dreaded “senioritis.” What is scary is that freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are complaining of senioritis as well. If this describes you or someone you know, all is not lost-there is something that can be done.
There are strategies that can be used by students to tackle “senioritis” and hopefully be on track to finish strong.
1. Develop mental toughness. Practice framing challenges or assignments as an opportunity to improve. Whenever you feel like you want to stop an assignment or study session, develop positive self-talk—even a mantra can come in handy-and continue with the task at hand. If it worked for the Little Engine, it can work for you (I think I can, I think I can,…)!
2. Find your next gear. This is often found when our backs are to the wall and we kick it into gear. Find this gear early on and you will not be as stressed at approaching deadlines.
3. Stick to your routine. Start your day earlier and eat a healthy breakfast. Make sure to attend classes on time, and make sure you have built-in uninterrupted study time.
4. Set Goals. Goals are a great way to keep students motivated and on-task towards the end of a school year. Even having a “To-Do” list will help students stay on track. If you do find yourself behind, make a list of assignments and assign due dates so you can see what is coming up. Once tasks are accomplished, it is great to see as tasks are marked complete.
5. Rewards. After assignments/goals are complete, reward yourself-maybe a piece of candy, an ice cream, or even 20 minutes of online gaming. Something that tells you, “Great job! You did it!”
Runners do not coast when they see the finish line-they dig down deep and find their final kick. Don’t get left behind—dig deep inside and find your last kick to cross the finish line.
