Rant & Rave
Rant & Rave
Senior slump has finally arrived. For those unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the attitude seniors have toward school work. Other activities, often unrelated to academics, start to take priority. Senior regrets
missed opportunitiesThe languor can kick in any time in the fourth year of high school, and by second semester most seniors will feel its wrath.
It's senior year, go out and have a blast. These years as a carefree teenager will quickly dwindle away. Suck the last two months of high school for all they're worth. Graduation marks a point in our young lives where the ability to have "youthful indiscretions" (unless one elects to become a politician) starts to vanish, and the burden of responsibility slowly begins to trickle down upon us.
Students should not go on a homework hiatus, completely bombing their classes. We've worked hard to get to college, so we should not let senior slump get to us.
All of us have different interpretations of "getting by." To complete even the simplest of homework assignments, such as reading a chapter of text, requires one to dig deep into the trenches of motivation. And most of the time, the well of discipline is empty. I came up with the idea to write this article some time in early February and promised myself to write it during spring break, only to finish it in the late afternoon of the Sunday before school resumed.
Every day it's a struggle to focus on work. This ailment goes beyond mere lethargy. It is a vile disease that seeps into the marrow of the bones. But this affliction cannot be remedied. If you're a senior, then you're likely to catch this lackadaisical plague. And it is not totally a bad thing.
Because apathy has set in, we find other ways to spend our time. Not that there haven't been distractions already, such as thePunahou Carnival, college admissions, and preparation for the graduation ceremony itself.
People advise young people to live life with no regrets. I would regret not going to a party with all my friends more than not studying for a math test. I would regret not having dinner and movie with the girl I've been checking out more than not writing an "A" paper for English. I may never see my friends and that girl again. I'm pretty sure I'll get to take another test and write another paper in college. I don't think I'll be missing out on much.
In these last days of high school, one starts to reflect on the past four years; realizing what went right and what might have been. I look back and notice the opportunities I missed because I had focused so much attention on academics. I refuse to let that happen to me in my senior year.
I know it is impossible to make up for things that have passed, but those events that I did not participate in serve as reminders not to let it happen again. I missed out on camps, Freshman Night, May Day pageants, the Flaming P (our equivalent of a homecoming), and the list goes on.
Although these events may seem distant and minute, they will forever remain a piece of the Punahou education I will never be a part of. There are so many wonderful opportunities at this school, and I am glad to have taken advantage of some of them. I only wish I could have done more than mainly the books.
Alan Khamoui is a senior at Punahou School. Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives.
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