5feature Letting
wingspan • march 19, 2010
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stin a a r c o r P t o r Teachers use various methods to prevent procrastination ? try not to have bias against the students that do. graduation projects that involve writing a reHailey Robinson
Are you a
1. Do you keep track of assignments? A. Yes, every day B. Occasionally C. Never
2. Do you cram for tests?
A. No, I plan a studying schedule. B. Every once in a while C. Always
3. Do you find yourself trying to find something else to do before homework? A. No, I just get it done. B. Sometimes C. Yes, I have a hard time focusing on homework. 4. Does your cell phone get in the way of important tasks? A. No, I always turn it off if something is more important. B. Occasionally C. Always 5. When you first are assigned a project, what do you do? A. I start organizing what I’m going to do ahead of time. B. I wait about a week before it’s due. C. I wait until the night before. 6. In the past year, how many times have you made excuses for lateness? A. Once or twice B. Several times C. Too many to count
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e wants to go to sleep, but there is work to be done. He has a physics lab due tomorrow that he has had for a week and then he has to finish the homework problems from two nights ago. His eyes are drooping as he works until 3 a.m. to get his school work completed. Procrastination affects a majority of students. They put off assignments, not caring for the moment how it will impact their grade. Many teachers who have problems with students procrastinating implement strategies to help them manage their time effectively and avoid procrastination. “I have a major procrastination prevention program for senior projects. Each student has to find a faculty sponsor to act as an accountability partner,” senior English teacher Betsy Squires said. “Second, I have them talk in front of the class about the progress they’re making. The last part is a progress update sheet they have to fill out and sign. If I find somebody starting to fall behind, then I pull in the guidance counselors, administrators and their parents to talk to them.” After going through the graduation project process themselves, Squires’ students pass on advice to future students by writing notes on her wall of recommendations. “What happens is I try not to have preconceived ideas for each student so they have an opportunity to prove himself or herself,” Squires said. “I get kind of an intuitive feel when I can tell when someone is not being quite up front with me with the progress they’re making.” Although students who don’t procrastinate are generally easier to deal with, teachers say they
8. Which of the following statements best describes your attitude towards deadlines? A. I’m very strict and I pay attention B. I try to meet them but other things get in the way C. I don’t ever meet them on time 9. When I’m studying, I find
myself daydreaming. A. Never B. Sometimes C. Always
10. When I have several
things to do I: A. Get the hard tasks done first B. Split it up: do half now and half later C. Don’t do any of the tasks Mostly A’s: You watch deadlines like a hawk. You find yourself to be organized, and you study routinely. You’re a teacher’s dream student, and you don’t mind working hard. Keep it up! Mostly B’s: You are an occasional procrastinator, but you generally stay on top of assignments. Sometimes you do get stuck cramming the night before a test if you’re feeling particularly lazy that week, but you try not to . . . . Mostly C’s: You procrastinate all the time and your grades reflect it. Deadlines are hardly ever met and you are always far behind. In fact, you shouldn’t even be reading this. Get back to work and stop making excuses, slacker!
Kim Randall Asst. Managing Editor
I
t was midnight, and junior Katie Gilbert didn’t have her homework done. She had plenty of time earlier in the day, but kept putting it off. Now it was late, and she couldn’t manage to keep her eyes open long enough to finish the first math problem. Next thing she knew, she was rushing into school hoping she was early enough to copy last night’s homework from a classmate. She knew that her procrastination had caught up with her. “I have to rush to school and try to finish it before the class starts,” Gilbert said. “I get a bad grade on it, and I tell myself that I’m done with procrastinating and I’m going to start doing my homework at home. But I never do.” The average student will procrastinate at least once during their time in high school. Whether it’s on homework, a research paper or a graduation project, procrastination can lead to trouble. “I procrastinate all the time — every night. I just get home and don’t feel like doing it,” Gilbert said. “Then I forget about it. When I wake up in the morning, I remember that I have to do it and I start freaking out.” Many students end up finishing homework moments before the class starts, but it’s only fin-
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ished because it’s copied from another student. class, which I also have to practice for, depending This can result in the student having a lack of un- on the difficulty of what we’re doing.” derstanding about what’s being covered in class. Students that do have a tendency to pro Procrastination may be a result of the human crastinate don’t discriminate against school work. tendency for laziness, or it can come from having They equally procrastinate in all aspects of life. a crammed schedule. After coming home from “I always procrastinate on everything in all of extracurricular activities, practice or work, stu- my classes. In physics and calculus, we have muldents may be tired and drained. They’re not in a tiple days to finish our homework, but I usually productive mood for finishing homework. end up waiting until the night before to finish my “My procrastination works for me because homework,” Adams said. “I end up completing I don’t need as much sleep,” my homework at two or three in senior Drew Adams said. “I the morning.” haven’t had a good night’s sleep Sometimes students procrasWhen I wake up since sophomore year, espetinate less when they are truly in the morning, I cially during the musical, beinterested in what they are doing cause schoolwork is important or have other reasons to be selfremember that I to me. I always end up putting motivated. have homework the musical first; I will slack off “I do procrastinate, but not to do and I start with homework and school stuff so much with the play because first.” I know that I’m going to have freaking out. Adams may be one of the to go out on stage and I am gofew students that doesn’t mind ing to look bad if I procrastinate Katie Gilbert the loss of sleep resulting from and don’t get it done,” freshman junior procrastination. Instead of losCandice Holden said. ing sleep, some students will go into school know- Some students wish they could keep theming he or she has nothing to turn in. selves from procrastinating, although others don’t Those rare students who do not procrastinate mind the fact that they don’t live up to their pohave learned time management skills. tential. “Almost every single part of my social life in- “I don’t care at all if I procrastinate so long as volves work of some sort. I have to study for the I get the job done,” junior Ryan Gordon said. “My play to get my lines right, and I have to practice parents don’t know, so they don’t make me do it for swimming,” junior James Loder said. “I have otherwise. I just keep procrastinating as much as all my homework, singing lessons and dance I want to as long as I can finish it.”
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Tips to steer clear of putting off schoolwork or chores 1
Set up a reward system: finishing a project is worth a dinner out and a movie night.
3
Tackle difficult jobs earlier in the day when you have the most energy.
Set a deadline and stick to it.
2
Assign someone to be a “nagbuddy”— give them permission to check in periodically to make sure you’re staying on track.
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“I hope that there are none, but generally the search paper, working with a mentor for 15 hours ones that make me throw up the red flag are the and preparing an 8-10 minute presentation. ones that are constantly telling me that they’ve got “When seniors are having a problem and it at home and I have never seen any proof of it,” that senior is reporting to the whole class about junior English teacher Cliff Searcy said. “They’re how he or she is doing, the other seniors are great working on a research paper and it’s ‘I’ve got the about helping them come up with ways to solve first section done, but it’s at home,’ yet I never get the problem,” Squires said. “It’s like a support to see it, or I see it when they have time to be do- group.” ing research or typing up the paper. I would never Teachers say that not only seniors, but all want to call somebody a liar but students have trouble fighting it does makes me worry.” the urge to put things off until Some people say Students aren’t the only the last minute. ones with procrastination is “Sometimes I think it’s bethat they work sues. Teachers admit that they cause they are juggling too better under sometimes procrastinated when many things and working a lot pressure, but you they were in school. of hours,” Squires said. “They “It was my senior year, and underestimate how much organever know when I had a paper on environmental nization the graduation project it’s all going to concerns based on Silent Spring takes and some of them have by Rachel Carson,” Squires said. not yet learned to manage their pile up on you. “I was an environmentalist in time correctly.” the making, so I was doing my Procrastination may work Cliff Searcy project on that. I remember havout occasionally, but grade point English teacher ing to stay up all night for several averages can suffer. “On a major nights before that project was due.” project, if it’s a day late, then it’s a letter grade off, Teachers also try to teach ways for their stu- so at least they have an opportunity if something dents to overcome procrastination habits on other came up and they were just unable to complete assignments. “I try to model for them the idea of it. If there are extenuating cirtaking any piece of work or any task and breaking cumstances, I don’t always it down into smaller pieces,” Searcy said. “The ju- punish them if it was somenior honors research paper is a nine-page paper, thing beyond their control,” but we only do three pages at a time. Hopefully Searcy said. “Some people when they’re seniors and they have their senior say that they work better paper, they’ll do the same thing.” under pressure but you Seniors in particular have trouble with pro- never know when it’s all crastination, mainly with their semester-long going to pile up on you.”
Some students find themselves in a bind after procrastinating
7. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter to
get something done? A. No, I’m always done ahead of time. B. Every so often C. Always
Asst. Entertainment Editor
4
5 Break the task into small sub-tasks. Do it immediately and don’t put it off any longer.
6
Don’t try to do everything
7 perfectly.
9
Bring a snack or drink to your desk before you start so you won’t be tempted to walk away. Turn off the TV and the cell phone.
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