If only school were over when the seniors quit.

It always starts right around this time – sometimes a bit earlier depending on the weather. The minute we have a few warmish days, it strikes…and spreads like wildfire. Senioritis. I heard from a mother today who is disgusted with her son because he started the year with a 4.0 and now has a 23% in math! I talked to a mom last week whose daughter told her “when I turn 18 on Sunday, I’m moving out and quitting school.” I haven’t seen her this week.

There are some “defining moments” in our lives, some positive, others negative. I fear for kids who have one of those negative moments this young. It’s so hard to tell a teenager that once they head down that path, they soon reach a point of no return. Spring brings to some seniors the realization that their choices will prevent them from graduating. Like the Mr. K says to seniors each spring, “Don’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! Stay with it until the bitter end!” The young man who is failing math is doing just that… the young woman who thinks she will be better off on her own is doing just that… each of these kids are a hairs breadth from graduating…or not.