As we approach the final few days of the 2021-22 school year, it is only natural for students to begin daydreaming about summer vacation and detach themselves from the academic responsibilities that June entails.  Especially as the weather gets warmer, this feeling grows tenfold.  Due to this, it is typical that students disassociate from their most studious selves and lose dedication to their education.  However, it is imperative to stay determined during this closing time and remember the bigger picture—you have been working so hard all year, don’t let yourself lose sight now.

This loss of motivation at the end of the school year is coined as fourth quarter fever, or June burnout.  Some symptoms of the burnout are a loss of interest in classes, procrastinating and falling behind on assignments.

“Ever since the end of AP testing, I have found myself having extreme summer fever.  It is becoming harder and harder to keep myself driven academically because I always have summer on my mind,” said junior Kaitlyn Schwirzbin. 

One factor that may help students stay motivated is remembering that Schreiber’s grading system weighs the fourth marking period the most, as it counts for 35% of a final class grade.  The grade that ends up on your transcript is very heavily influenced by this last quarter, and your other three quarters may not be as much of a fallback as you think.  These final grades also influence your GPA, so staying consistent will really help you in the end.  Push yourself during this final stretch—you will thank yourself later. 

Another way to stay academically driven is to remain involved in extracurriculars and out-of- school activities.  Partaking in school-related activities that bring you joy will make the things you aren’t as passionate about much easier to take on.  Don’t distance yourself from or quit activities that once were invigorating to you.

“The easiest way for me to stay motivated is to stay involved in the clubs I am passionate about.  One thing I love to do at Schreiber is help the Student Council with activities.  Something I recently helped with was all the behind-the-scenes work of Spirit Week.  This was not only fun in the moment, but also really rewarding in the end when I saw all of our effort pay off throughout the week,” said junior Alexandra Cascio. 

Another way to stay motivated is to create a reinforcement schedule.  Every time you do something for school that you are dreading, whether small or large, reward yourself.  Whether you do that by hanging out with your friends or just by eating a piece of chocolate, reinforcing yourself is a great way to stay self-motivated.  For instance, if you have a test to study for, maybe you can eat a piece of candy every time you go through the Quizlet stack.  Positive reinforcement is proven to be an excellent way to form good habits, and finding a happy medium between work and play is very beneficial to students’ success.

“Every time I have to do something difficult, I set a goal and a following reward for myself.  This helps me stay extremely motivated and makes me much more efficient.  Especially for busy work, the hardest part of completing something is simply finding the motivation to start,” said junior Layla Hershkowitz. 

Finally, holding yourself accountable is one of the best ways to stay motivated and on top of your work.  Whether that is asking your parents to keep you on the right track and make you attend school, or setting reminders on your phone, a little reminder or helping hand goes a long way.  Hearing something come from an external source is often a great assistance for doing the right thing. 

Although it’s certainly inevitable to feel unmotivated in the final stretch of the school year, there are a lot of things you can do to help yourself out.  Stay on the right track—the end is in sight.