THE ECHO

By Grace Otey // Reporter

As spring calls and winter fades away, students have much to worry about. Between finals, AP exams, graduation, and much more the end of second semester is a blur. But the third quarter stands out as a seemingly endless onslaught of homework. The end is in sight, but not close enough to satisfy.

It’s cold, it’s dark, and motivation is dropping. Students and teachers agree that the third quarter is a rough time. Señor Emmons, Spanish teacher, finds a decrease in motivation for himself and his students.

“I think most people would agree that the third quarter is the most challenging,” said Emmons. “It’s difficult to come back to school after winter break when the

weather is cold and gloomy, days are short, and students’ schedules move around to create new vibes in classroom dynamics.”

While Emmons can see the struggles of the third quarter, he doesn’t believe it’s the worst. Even with this being the case, he does notice motivation waning. When his students grow stagnant, it affects him too.

“Motivation is always a factor as we progress through the semester. As we near the finish lines with each semester, students start to feel the burn out and become a tad apathetic—which is understandable,” said Emmons. “That can affect my mood at times.”

Senior Sofia Hernandez has a similar perspective. She starts off the year ready and motivated but loses it as school stretches on. However, when fourth quarter rolls around she can see the end and it gets better.

“I always start off pretty strong, and then it kind of withers a little. But I feel like the last quarter, like the end is in sight, so I feel more motivated,” said Hernandez.

There are so many factors that affect motivation. When it’s dark and cold, it is easy to slip into seasonal depression. By then it’s hard to care about anything but getting through it. Emmon’s finds this to be a big factor in why students begin to slack. He also understands that students struggle with grade motivation as the year progresses.

“We need sunlight to thrive in our daily lives, and when we arrive at school in the dark and leave school in the dark, it affects our psyche and makes us feel depressed. We all collectively feel it, so it’s good to know that we experience it together,” said Emmons. “Students can get stuck in a certain mindset towards their classes and grades, and they may feel like anything that they do won’t change their grade. That seems to be the time that students start to slip with their motivation and don’t try as hard.”

Millie Sexton, freshman, has similar feelings about why the third quarter is so difficult. The days are longer, the end seems far away, and nothing is really happening. She also finds herself neglecting school work because of her extracurriculars.

“I feel like no one wants to be here anymore, because we’re all just tired of it. First semester, we’re okay, then you’re still going. Then second semester, we want to be out of here, especially third quarter, because there is nothing happening,” said Sexton. “It’s also competition season for show choir. And so everything is, you have to know the show, you have to be ready for the show, and so everything goes into that instead.”

With all the negatives of the third quarter there are still upsides. Hernandez loves winter even if the time of year is tough and Emmons also finds positives.

“I try my best to keep students motivated by doing fun activities to make learning more entertaining,” said Emmons, “Personally, I generally have great third quarters!”