The “Third nine-weeks slump” is that time of year between Christmas and spring break when school seems to drag on with no end in sight. Students lose motivation, grades drop and morale is at an all-time low. Homewood students are certainly not exempt to the effects.
HHS social and emotional counselor Zach Butler has seen the slump hit students and tries to offer as much support as he can.
“I see it as the middle ground between the excitement of the holidays and the end of the year,” Butler said. “It’s that space where people really don’t have a lot to look forward to and they’re kind of just feeling worn out. I definitely see it all around this year.”
While teachers and support staff can’t take away the schoolwork, Butler believes there are certainly things adults in the building can do to show students that they’re here for them.
“We’re all kind of in it together,” Butler said. “Everybody can try to show empathy because we’re all feeling the same things, whether we say it or not. It’s important to take moments to breathe, decompress and hit the reset button to refocus.”
AP Language Arts teacher Leslie Anastaisa feels the effects herself and also notices a drop in overall student performance. The third-nine weeks in her class is the final push to learn all new material before it’s time to review for the AP exam in May. This common theme across classes causes students to lose motivation before the home stretch.
“It’s hard coming back from break,” Anastasia said. “I feel like in my class we’re learning new multiple choice stuff and it just takes a minute for some people to catch on and get motivated. It’s a slight slump, but it’s there.”
HHS senior, Austin Meredith, feels that things are different for him this year.
“I’m not feeling it as much this year,” Meredith said. “I’m a senior and I’m really just ready to get out of here. Junior year, last year, it definitely hit me hard though.”
Students across all levels of academic rigor tend to suffer from the mid-year drag. Regardless of one’s schedule, the gloomy weather and seemingly endless days inflict melancholy and unmotivation for most students and teachers alike.
