Students discuss lack of motivation as the school year comes to a close

Junior+Lea+Baker+falls+asleep+during+financial+management

Junior Lea Baker falls asleep during financial management

Academic student slumps are nothing new at NHS. According to Cross River Therapy, 61% of students between ages 13 and 17 feel stress over getting good grades. NHS is hard at work trying to combat academic slumps, but some students can experience burnout as expectations rise.

“School gets very stressful … there’s work you have to do outside of school and if it’s a lot then it keeps adding up,” sophomore Trista Blackwell said.

According to College Countdown, encouraging students to remember the main goal of their education can help motivate them to do work.

“You are allowed to take a break, and take care of your mental health,” NHS social worker Taylor Lewis said.

According to Lewis, some of these mid-year slumps come from the changing seasons influencing one’s mental health. Lewis said that seasonal depression is real, and can affect grades, attendance, and more.
“One in five people have a diagnosable mental illness– that doesn’t mean it’s always diagnosed though,” Lewis said.

According to the University of Nebraska, there are many things that one can do to bring themselves out of a slump. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for student affairs at the university suggested keeping a consistent day and night schedule. Some things people could include in their day-to-day life are being active, spending time outside and keeping track of stress levels.

“I play sports and club sports too, so it’s hard having to get home, do some work, go to practice, and do it all over again,” freshman Xaydi Valdivia said.

According to Tutoring for Success, making lists and calendars can be very helpful tools in catching up on assignments.

“I wrote out on a whiteboard all the stuff I needed to turn in [for school] and I slowly went down the list,” Blackwell said.

According to Admission Sight, it is important to put academics before extracurriculars; however, it can be manageable if balanced in a beneficial way for said person. Also, it is important to not take on too many activities at a time as this could add unwanted stress.

When asked what teachers could do to help students relieve stress, Valdivia said, “Give more time before the assignments are due. Some of my teachers make it due within the hour –like– I can’t focus in one hour to write an essay.”

According to Study, it is better to turn in assignments late rather than never, as zeros can be devastating to one’s grade. Study acknowledges that students are human too and work at different paces that may not be the same as the teacher’s pace.

“A student’s expectation for themself should matter to them, it is important to pass and be able to move on to further education,” Blackwell said.