The Last Quarter

This is the tough one. The weather gets nicer. AP and IB tests happen throughout the quarter. It all starts to wind down. But it really isn't.

For the highly competitive schools or scholarships this quarter can really mess with some plans. Seniors are convinced that it makes no difference. Unfortunately, the GPA and rank stays with you for a couple more years. If you stay in one college for 4 years you only need to convince that school to take you once. If there is a chance you might transfer, then that high school GPA becomes important again.

The last high school year is a big thing to all the students. They might not exactly talk about it but they know this is really the last time they have the opportunity to be a kid. The age of 18 brings legal responsibility and a sense that I'm now grown up. We old people may know different but that concept of 18 being the gate has been around for a long time.

For the rest of the group, it is tough to remind them that "next year will be better" attitude is not the best route to take. This quarter is the one to build the GPA not let it slide.

The weather is not our friend this time of year. Educators are perhaps some of the few that really want rain and cool weather Monday through Friday until the last day of school. We still have important material to cover. The first part of the year has been a build up to this point in order to tie it all together into new knowledge and new meanings. So rather than coasting into summer, we want to go deeper and into more meanings. Nice, beautiful days do not work to our benefit.

Nine weeks, and they will go quickly.