by Heather Tyner, Hannah Magen and Drew Cason

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The problem of senioritis dates back to the dawn of time, or, at least the beginning of high schools. It has always been that Seniors zone out in class, they don't turn in their homework and overall they just don't seem to care about school. For today's seniors, this problem is even worse. Living in the age of information, they have access to many more possibilities than the seniors before them. So what are the causes of senioritis? And what keeps some students engaged? Three of our ATMI seniors look at this issue.

The first circle of conversation:

Heather: This is Heather Tyner, and I am a senior at South Anchorage High School. As a senior, I hear a lot about kids being done with high school.    For me, being done means you no longer have any interest in anything high school has to offer. Personally, I have not yet come to this point. I still feel that whether it's the classes I'm taking or the after school activities I participate in, high school still has a lot to offer.

Hannah: Hey, this is Hannah Magen, and I am a senior at Service High School. Wow, being done with high school. I think it's the feeling of wanting to do more, wanting to break free from the chains of detentions and hallway passes, to look for new opportunities. I feel that there are so many different options out there, and this feeling of being done, is just wanting more.

Drew : Hey, this is Drew Cason, a senior at West High. I have to agree with Hannah, being done with high school means being ready for more. At some point, high school classes don't get anymore challenging, but more than that, the way that they are run only allows for so much independence, so much freedom of thought. Being done with high school simply means you are ready to move beyond the high school paradigm, into the wild world of individual exploration.

The second circle of conversation:

Heather : Well, the reason I feel like there are still opportunities in high school is because high school is only as engaging as you make it. If you want your classes to be challenging, you have to choose challenging classes. Super academic achiever, Christine Dawson agrees:

“Umm, yeah classes can be really boring themselves, but if you decide that you actually want to learn about stuff and just learn more about the world, then it's engaging if you take the time to actually learn.”

Drew: But Heather, sometimes there aren't any more challenging classes, last year my AP calculus class finished the year more than half full of juniors, this year we are all taking the next highest math class AP Stats, but it's really easy, and definitely less than engaging. If we wanted a challenging math class, we would have to leave West and go somewhere else and my High school schedule leaves no time for that.

Heather: Well that may be true, but it's only one example. I mean, having one class that isn't thought inspiring doesn't mean all your classes are dull and worthless, or that high school is a complete waste of time. Senior socialite Kendra Higgens sums this thought up as:

“Basically you just have to realize that this is your life, you know, it's your future and it's your reality at the moment so you have to engage yourself or else it's not worth it.”

With this line of thought, even the boring classes are valuable because they allow you to better define what you don't like about the subject. To be engaged in high school is more than being engaged in just one class. Take other difficult classes or get involved socially.

Hannah : I agree that a huge factor in engagement is the high school social environment. A lot of people love high school at first, seeing their friends, and having fun, You know there are always those big stories about cute boys and hot girls, But I think that a lot of juniors and seniors, are sick of the “immature drama” that fills the halls, and class rooms. They're done and want to move on.  

Brita Johnson a senior at Service High, is tired of the high school environment

“There is also the feeling of, Oh I can't take anything more out of this environment, I'm done being here, just ready to get out,”

Kendra Higgens added, “you've done high school for like 4 years and you've grown so much you're just ready to move on and get on with just having your life and career and stuff.”

Hannah : A lot of students decide to take the initiative, by taking higher-level classes, or joining more advanced programs, such as the early honors program at Alaska Pacific University

Victoria Fraser a senior at APU, told us about the early honors program.

“The best part about APU is that the classes are truly challenging and I feel like I'm actually learning something and ummm, just preparing for college is neat.”

The seminar program at Service High is a way for students to talk and discuss their different philosophies about life.

“Seminar is a program it's just all about openness, talking, um we read philosophy papers so I think it's really interesting…just open discussion and views, open opinions, and I find it really interesting and insightful,” seminar student Ryann Martinik said.

But Ryann also notes that sometimes other classes have less to offer,

“I think it definitely depends on the teacher and mannerism of teaching. ”

Heather : In high school, you learn the skills you need later in life. Luba Bartnitskia, a motivated senior at South is engaged in high school:

“I know I have to do good now in order to make it somewhere later in life and this is like the fundamental umm building block for everything that I am going to need later in life.”  

Drew : But other seniors see high school as a mundane hurdle standing between them and greater things. Like Heather said, its tough to get into college without a high school diploma, but other than getting a diploma so that you can get into college or get a job, some high schoolers feel that they have developed beyond the target audience high school caters to.

Heather : That is making the assumption that lots of high school seniors do see high school as a mundane hurdle. What about the ones who are still learning something from being in high school? Going to high school isn't all about going to class, taking notes, trudging through crowded hallways and having homework. In high school, you make friends who help you discover what kind of person you are or could be. The classes you take help you decide what classes you want to take in college. And the teachers provide support as you make decisions that will affect the rest of your life. High school is a training ground for things to come, particularly college.

Drew: Sure, High School can be a place to hang out with friends, a realm of self discovery, or a chance to be mentored by the more experienced. But by senior year, many students find alternative sources for all of these things. Many of my friends have graduated or go to other schools, so high school really just gets in the way of my social life. I find Environmental work with Alaska Youth for Environmental Action or the WILD foundation to be far more fulfilling than anything I have done through the school district. And I tend to identify better with adults I meet outside of school than my teachers. So being done with high school socially, may just mean seniors have found different social circles that fit them better.

Academically too, there are many differences between high school and college. In high school, you have far less freedom. There are many more general requirements for graduation than in college, and there are many more rules about how you behave.

In college, you are free to pursue a major in a subject of your choosing, where you spend time learning about things that you will use as a member of society, that way students can avoid taking classes that they won't engage in.  

There is also a great deal more freedom in the classes. From when your classes begin, to how much work you do. In high school you follow prescribed study techniques such as worksheets, a lot. In college, your entire grade may be based on two tests, or a paper and a test. Leaving you free to study in whatever manner best suits your learning style.

Hannah: Yeah, like you guys said, you've got to graduate from high school, or get some sort of diploma in order to move on to other things, like college or a career. But, I'm wondering if this feeling of disengagement, or wanting more, is more something that everyone experiences, whether in high school or later in life. I mean, look at uncle Rico, from Napoleon Dynamite. He stayed hung up on his high school football career, and never made it anywhere in life. I am not saying that high school is not a neat place. I think that high school is really important, and making the most of what we have, and can get from high school is essential.  

Uncle Rico obviously missed this step of moving on. Is it simply that people reach this step at different times in their lives, relating to different things?  

Third Circle of Conversation:

Heather: It's true that letting go of high school allows you to move on with your life, but being done with high school while you're still in high school seems a bit premature. You should enjoy it while you're still there, and get over it when you leave.

Hannah : But I think that by the end, it's more about learning what you want or are interested in and doing a good job of that.

Drew: I think that sometimes being done with high school is not always the students choice and that programs like APU early honors offer valuable alternatives. But APU is expensive, so maybe something could be done to make the other high schools a bit more like APU. Maybe by easing graduation requirements for high achieving students, or allowing for more freedom when choosing classes, high school could be more engaging for more seniors.