The Cure to Senioritis

Desk Sketch 042220 by Pete Scully

I am currently a senior in high school, and as Christmas break comes to an end and I find myself having to go to classes and do homework again, I can't help but feel just a little bit of senioritis. I wish that we could fast-forward this whole semester, do prom and graduation, and then be done. Unfortunately, that's not the case. I have commitments booked in my calendar for the next six months, still have to keep my GPA up, need to finish scholarship applications and competitions, and have several performances left in my dance career. 

I'm not the only high-schooler who feels this way. Especially once the college acceptance letters start rolling in, it's easy to feel that your senior year of high school doesn't serve any real purpose. While it's only just starting to kick in for me, I know some seniors have been feeling this since the first day of school way back in August, and others who caught senioritis before the school year even started. 

Knowing that you're almost to the finish line makes it really easy to believe that the quality of your work doesn't matter anymore. This is exactly why last semester, I made my first-ever B in my high school career. (I don't say this to brag.) I was one week out from the end of BIOL1011 with a 91, well aware that deep down, I could pass without studying, and then I bombed the final with a 74, which pulled my final grade down to an 88. Had I studied 30 minutes longer, I could have kept my A or even raised it. But the senioritis got to me, and I just didn't care anymore. What did it matter if I got a perfect score when it would be over next week?

At the beginning of this year, one of my directors sat the seniors down for a chat. She pointed out that in the past, a pattern has arisen in which a senior is given a part in a production, but then the senioritis hits, and they don't care enough to perform it well. "Whether or not you intend to dance next year, you are dancing now, and you need to do your best in the present." I had given only 92% for a show just one week previously, and was strongly convicted by her statement. 

I think she's right, though. Regardless of whether I'll be in high school next year, I'm in high school now. Shouldn't that be reason enough to try? Nothing is permanent. Every phase of life comes to an end. Life itself comes to an end. Yet that is all the more reason to work hard while we still have the opportunity. 

The cure to senioritis is to live in the now, to be present in this moment. And like every other truth I attempt to point out, this one is also Biblical. (Because all truth is based in Scripture, believe it or not.) A big idea in the Bible is doing all things for the glory of God, and of using the talents and gifts He has given you to their fullest extent. I think this is exactly the solution to the miserable trudging of senioritis. Stop worrying and dreaming about the future, and start recognizing the joys and challenges of the present. 

These days of your life still matter, regardless of how long they last. Treat them as such by giving it your all. When you do, things won't seem so boring anymore. The cure to senioritis isn't graduation. It's caring about all the steps that come before.