Resist Spring Break Slowdown
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By Vanessa W. Snyder
It’s starting already. A few warm days is all it takes before the realization hits us: Spring is near! That’s when kids begin the Spring Break Slowdown.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been teaching long enough to sense the change in atmosphere. I see it in my students and my own children. Something about the approaching warm weather causes kids to ease up at school.
Suddenly, the work doesn’t seem as important. They struggle to turn in their assignments and act like it’s time for a break. They beg to watch movies and walk around in a bit of a fog. Teachers experience it also, that lazy, summer-afternoon feeling that takes over just before spring arrives.
But this is the worst time for students to slack off, especially high schoolers. There’s simply no time to slip into that malaise. Colleges won’t understand the dip in grades come second semester (that goes for seniors, too). How can students explain that they just didn’t feel like working?
As for middle schoolers, they really don’t want to start bad habits that will be difficult to break at the next level. High school is tough enough without sub-par grades and a poor work ethic at the start. And elementary kids are too early in the game to even think about a slowdown. Don’t let them do it.
As teachers, we need to break out our most-creative lesson plans to keep students engaged. That means even more hands-on, more music, more movement and more out-the-box approaches. As parents, we might have to whip up new incentives to keep our children motivated and focused. And we have to figure out creative ways to do so — extra TV hours, extended bed time, more computer time, a special meal — without breaking the bank.
Several weeks remain before Spring Break arrives and squandering that time would be a poor decision.
Yes, spring is on the way. But so are the next report cards.
