As the school year gears up and class material becomes more difficult, the last thing I think about is taking a day off. 

However, for some seniors who claim to have “senioritis,” and now lack the motivation to work for good grades, planned senior skip days have been created for seniors to skip an entire day of school each month. 

These skip days are unnecessary because the school system has enough breaks already, and what seniors may not understand yet is that skipping school could have several unintended consequences. 

Being physically present in class is necessary for success because not only does it reward you with exam exemption and higher grades at the end of the semester, but it also ensures you learn valuable information to carry with you in the future.

Although school can be demanding and repetitive at times and it may seem like the workload will never end, school breaks exist. We have at least one day off every month, and plenty of breaks at the end of the first semester and throughout the second semester. We can celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve stress-free with breaks that span sometimes over two weeks long. 

If you compare our school schedule to those in foreign countries, such as China, South Korea, or Japan, we have an advantage over them in terms of breaks. Even with this advantage, some seniors still feel the need to take days off.

Some may say senior skip day is a Starr’s Mill tradition. It is, but for the longest time, it would only be one day a school year. Now, it is once a month. And once a month, senior classes significantly decrease in size, and some teachers adjust their lesson plans for the day to accommodate these careless seniors. Some, but not all. 

Most teachers at our school will not adjust their lesson plans for skipping seniors, which means that those who skip will miss potentially valuable information they will need to pass their next quiz or test, and will receive another mark on their attendance which could harm them at the end of the semester.

Seniors who skip should understand that school will not stop for them. There are 180 days in a typical school year, and a lot of information needs to be learned in that time. Most teachers work hard to ensure all of their students understand what is necessary for tests and exams. Seniors who skip and expect their teachers to cater to them are disrespectful.

I will admit, school can be stressful at times. Assignments pile up, classes become difficult and hard to understand, and extracurriculars take up potential study time, so grades may not be ideal. 

However, skipping school will not correct the issue. It could make it worse, especially if you are not planning to use the day doing anything productive. Each day of school adds new work to do. New work will add on to old work, which would make school more stressful than it already is.

In addition, there are disciplinary consequences that could result from poor attendance. No matter what, it will be on your record. Colleges will see that, and may not accept those students. Also, if you have more than five unexcused absences, you will not be able to exempt an exam based on attendance. For some who have missed several days of school, this most likely will hurt their grades further. 

The worst possible scenario that could result in too many senior skip days is not graduating with your class, and having to return the next year. Grades could drop so low and it could be close to the end of the semester that you fail one or multiple classes. 

So, if you are a senior or upcoming senior who skips often, please consider this dreadful possibility and attend school, communicate with teachers, and pass your classes. 

School will not always be stress free, but just note that another planned break filled with days of no school work is just around the corner.

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