In the first quarter of the school year, our school’s atmosphere is full of excitement and joy. Students are eager to reconnect with friends and get back into a consistent routine. When the second quarter begins, however, the school blues start to kick in. Temperatures drop as the workload increases. The only incentive is winter break, providing students with motivation to push through till the holidays. What follows is often recognized as the worst stretch of the school year, the third quarter. 

Motivation stoops to an all time low, and students struggle to overcome the challenges brought on by a monotonous routine. This three-month stretch between winter and spring break strips students from their energy and dedication towards classwork. Feelings of exhaustion and fatigue consume us. 

The main contributor to third quarter stress is the hefty amount of work assigned. Assignments not only increase in size but in difficulty. Different from the first and second quarters, work in the third quarter builds off concepts from earlier in the year. Students must retain information from the first and second quarter to succeed in the third, making the content all that more difficult. Juggling schoolwork is made even more challenging as teachers will begin to increase their course speed to ensure that all content is taught. Since most of the fourth quarter is used to prep students for end of year testing, teachers work to squeeze in all that they can in the third. Unfortunately, the effects of this increase in course speed fall directly on us students. 

Students lose sleep and time with friends, the things that allow them to recuperate and reset outside of school. Fortunately, many strategies have been made to take the weight off students’ shoulders.

It is important to remember the significance of balancing work and a social life. The third quarter is mangable with this balance. Making plans for upcoming weekends can effectively motivate students to get through the week. Spring break does not have to be the only incentive to push through the third quarter. 

Working with friends increases students’ productivity. This does not mean working together on a specific assignment, but rather together in the same atmosphere. By doing so, friends can hold each other accountable for their work. This is something that benefits both students. This method of motivation is popular among students because of the relaxed learning environment it creates. 

Early spring is a period of time characterized by its rapidly changing weather conditions. While it is not cold enough to snow, it is also not warm enough to bask in the sun. Sadly, these inconsistent conditions align with the third quarter. Surprise snow days are no longer an opportunity for a brief break from school. As if piecing outfits together isn’t challenging enough already, the warm then cool temperatures of spring present a challenge when getting dressed in the morning. 

May the countdown till spring break begin. Despite the challenges brought on by the third quarter, students will persevere through this bumpy period. We will work with our peers to offer each other support and motivation through this challenging time. Stay strong Yorktown.