As the trees start to regrow their leaves and the clouds slowly fade away day by day, finally allowing the sun to appear, this only means that summer is on the horizon. The long warm days full of life are almost here. Unfortunately for us students, while the summer season starts to arise, we are tortured by the last few weeks of the school year, stuck in our classrooms studying for final exams eager to just be outside and start the adventures that wait ahead. 

As a student myself, I am extremely exhausted. My battery for the school year is glitching to an end. The once-productive mindset that I somehow had all year round has dissipated into thin air. There is no explanation for this other than the fact that we are almost done. 

Imagine you are going on a long walk, and you can see your final destination right in front of you. You get close enough to it that you just think you’ve seen enough; you’re just going to stop and turn around. That is what it feels like during the last few weeks. We are so close to the end that we are just undertaken by the idea that this academic hard work will be coming to a halt, so what is the point anymore? 

Now, this does not mean you should stop doing work; this just means slowing down the pace of your academic life and not freaking out about every single grade all of the time. Get the work done, but if you are tired, it is okay. 

Some teachers understand the low-fuel mindsets that students have, and some don’t. It is hard to constantly stay focused when school feels like busy work towards the end of the school year. 

For myself, I am more than tired, I am drained. I’m not tired because of a lack of sleep; I am worn out. My once-withstanding academic mindset was like a new pair of shoes at the beginning of the school year and is now a beat-up version of those shoes that have somehow gotten me through all of the seasons. 

This a completely typical scenario for students. You push through and get to the end knowing there is something good waiting. That being summer. I am ready to work at my own pace and do things I find productive and that I am passionate about. I appreciate the structure of school, but my fellow classmates and I just need a break.