Every year, teachers and students alike count the days until their next vacation. With most breaks being a week or two long, students are able to relax and reconnect with friends and family without worrying too much about school. This, however, poses the problem of coming back and working through the lack of motivation and productivity that comes with winter laziness.
For sophomore Trey Robinson, coming back from winter break has been an uphill battle. With a lack of motivation and a lack of work done, Robinson reflects over the two week semester.
“I really haven’t done most of my work.” Robinson said, “It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, I just haven’t really had the motivation to do it. It’s really hard to come home after school and get straight into doing homework; I just haven’t been able to. I think the main difference [from last semester] is it’s closer to the end of the year. When it gets to this time of year, I really don’t try as much as the previous semester.”
Blaming the lack of homework during the two week winter vacation, Robinson states that a minimal amount of homework might help get kids ready for the new semester.
“I don’t really agree with too much homework over break, but I do think there should be a way for kids to interact with the school work they’ve been doing so they can keep up, but I don’t think it should necessarily be homework,” Robinson said. “I think reading up on things and look over past work. I think it should be student-motivated, not assigned by the teacher that way kids don’t feel overly stressed to get it done over break.”
Laziness is a common problem for most students and Robinson is far from alone. Advanced placement World History teacher, Katherine Sasser, explains that students are a lot slower into getting back in the semester and with the end relatively near kids start to lose their resolve.
“I think for students, the transition [from break back to school] makes it more difficult to come back into the pace of things,” Sasser said. “It’s a lot different coming break from summer break as there’s new people, new classes, new teachers and just a lot to look forward to. Typically students coming back into second semester have the same courses, teachers and people and their classes. Then, they get this taste of a break and the daunting second semester looms over, which can be demoralizing.”
Robinson, among others students, claims that an obvious solution to the problem at hand might be to shorten breaks; however he strongly disagrees, claiming students need that refreshing period of time to get over previously built up stress and to relax with friends.
“I don’t think the answer is shorter break,” Robinson said. “School is extremely stressful and these breaks are methods for students to relax. I think there should be minor assignments that keep you thinking throughout break, yet not be so much it stresses you out. Finding a good balance between a refreshing reminder of the previous semester and an annoyingly long assignment is really important not to stress [students] out.”
Counselor Leslie Kersha agrees on the lengths of most breaks. Saying they are placed at the perfect time, students need them to connect with other people.
“I think in general breaks are adequate lengths,” Kersha said. “I find that they come right in time for both students and adults and I think the two weeks for winter break is just the right amount of time as it lets students travel with their families. It gives them time to spend with family and friends and is just a much needed break from school. “
Disagreeing with both Sasser and Robinson on grades, Kersha claims to see little to no difference in grades for first to second semester.
“Every semester, we get a list of students who are struggling with their classes and it seems pretty consistent for every interim progress report with the amount of kids on it,” Kersha said. “Towards the end of each semester, however, the kids on that list tend to drastically reduce. What that tells me, is that some students slack off most of the semester and cram everything in towards the end. As far as a difference between that list beginning of first to second semester, there really isn’t that big of a difference. I don’t think break has to do with laziness, but I do think the January, February months are difficult months because it’s winter, it gets dark early, there’s cold weather, lack of sun. If there’s a slump in grades around this time I guess I’d attribute it to the ‘winter blues.’”
Robinson admits that finding the balance between relaxation and productivity is key in preparing students for the new semester. Striving for a more educationally successful semester, he plans to work harder to defeat the post-break laziness.
“I’m going to really try to stop being lazy,” Robinson said. “I need to get over break and bounce back into the mindset of productivity and education.”