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For most seniors, the first school day back from spring break sets the terrain for a very steep senior slide. Suddenly everyone becomes more interested in finding out where he or she soaked up some quality sun rays, and they’re less focused in the classroom and the text books start collecting dust. Soon enough most students are just sick of being back to school, that is when the momentum on the senior slide picks up and u can’t stop yourself from crashing at the finish line, or end of 3rd quarter. Some are kept in check from awaiting college acceptations, and others would take a bullet for the sake of turning in every assignment, but most join the senior slide band-wagon. I choose if I’m going to take a ride down the slide I’m setting up bumpers at the bottom, handing in late-work might take a toll on the GPA, but I’ve learned it is always better late than never. When I asked former Eastview student Matt Kiefer how he kept on track during his senior year he spoke wise words. “I never once didn’t do my homework my whole school career. I kept my grades from slipping by convincing myself the harder I worked at the end of the year the faster the year will end.” Matt is the classic “good student”, he doesn’t allow himself to become lazy just because the end is drawing near. Unfortunately the majority of seniors do not share the same work ethics as Matt. When I asked David Prahl if he has noticed a change in his motivation from before spring break and after he said “Ever since I came back from Mexico, I’ve been completely uninterested in doing homework and studying for tests, and I usually push it off until literally the last second. The warm spring weather lubricates the slide for most who enjoy spending their day outside under the sun rather than inside. More activities that warm weather brings are once again available and kids are eager to pick up where they left off. The relatively new sport of Frisbee golfing (frolf) has gained the attention of many. Groups of friends are now flocking to local frolf courses like Al’Magnet to kick off the new season and dust off the spider webs that collected over the winter. Tossing around a football or baseball also is a great way to help relieve the many pressures school unloads on students, and a good way to kill time with friends. When more and more of time is spent being active outdoors, less time is spent cracking the books to secure their academic future. Year after year, generation after generation, school and warm weather prove they do not mix well together. It’s not easy to pay attention during class when you’re constantly distracted by thoughts of more fun things are on mind. Some simply give less effort because they see their friends and other classmates going down the slide. One slacker that has the power of sabotaging the GPA of others is a problem that I believe happens in about every classroom, even though they may trigger sliding to others unintentionally, it isn’t academically healthy for the students in the class. That is still no excuse, students must learn how to maintain self control in the classroom, even if it’s their best friend sitting in the desk right next to them and is attempting to spark up a conversation. Other distractions like cell phones and ipods suddenly become more appealing than they were before spring break. Txting takes away all concentration in the classroom, and listening to music changes from a helpful method for working hard, to a way to hardly work. Students will try to get away with txting at all costs so I believe teachers need to increase their authority by taking away cell phones. The teachers popularity will go down in the eyes of the students, but that should be the least that teachers worry about. Higher levels of discipline usually result in higher test scores due to more time spend actually listening to the teacher, rather than downing their voice out while listening to music, and txting. There is never a shortage of distractions during and after school hours, but responsibility should’t be forgoten about. Obviously it is a no brainer that the average student will choose an activity that interests them over homework anyday, anytime, and anywhere. Peer pressure also claims many victims, it’s hard enough as it is to come home right after school and sit down to take care of work, but when you have your friends insissting that you stop what you’re doing to toss around the pigskin it makes the right choice a hard one. The responisble student will decline the offer usually, but sometimes it’s harder to leave your friends behind and miss out on the fun. Growing up in a time where technology has never been more advanced is just as much of a privalige, as a curse. Endless amounts of time are wasted on technology every week, but nothing consumes a larger puportion of my generation’s lives than video games. Everyday kids go home and power up their xboxes and playstations, suddenly 10 minutes of gaming turns into 3-4 hours spent infront of the television. Video game consoles double as a vacuum in space comparible in strength to a black hole of wasting time, time that you can never get back. 17 and 18 year olds never ever in a million years enjoy being controlled by their parents, it’s the time in their life where they feel the need to branch out and make their own choices. As long as teen brains devolope this way, the task of a parent will never be easy, especially if the first step to bringing up their son/daughter’s quarter grades means taking away video games. Most people who sink that much time into video games preform poorly in school and that’s when I believe the parents should take games away in order to repair grades. Obviously the fabled senior slide has been an excuse to get away with lazyness for countless years, and the report cards you already know your parents will demand to see will reveal how little effort was put into school. Some seniors may think they can justify not doing assignments because the end of the near is closer every day that passes, but the fact is students truly show much less effort towards the end of the year. If more is done in, and outside of school to maintain academic focus and take time away from enjoyable distractions will pave the road to a successful future.