Spring Fever Anyone?

a teaching story by Charlotte Stitt Gordon | April 01, 2010

Now is the time of the school year for that popularly known childhood condition called Spring Fever. It commonly infests its victims with bouts of unfocused gazing out the classroom window, doodling images of fantasy such as Storm Troopers, Spiderman, or Dora the Explorer, and having pencil duels or spit ball fights with your neighboring accomplices. Students who have been models of scholarship and self-control all year begin to subtly defy teacher directions and engage in small acts of mischief formerly seen only in their less focused classmates.

Schools in some parts of the country have already ridden out this epidemic and closed their doors to the welcome relief of summer vacation. Other educators are still in the throws of the battle and wondering how to lessen the effects of this infestation and divert the restless energies of those stricken. Do we teachers just endure the suffering and dangle occasional "carrots" in front of the children, hoping they will be entertained enough to give us periods of rest? Or should we lay down the law tighter and keep them overwhelmed with busy work and reprimands that they dare not risk losing the few chances of freedom they may enjoy at recess, lunch, or special classes?

In coping with the dilemma of Spring Fever, I have witnessed three main categories of students affected. One is the group who returns from Spring Break with the notion that the fun never ends. Sleeping in, going to bed late, having few responsibilities, and playing almost non-stop tech games at home means that serious work is over. "Let's party" is their motto, and a teacher's efforts at bursting their bubble are futile.

Baseball/softball season has started, and many talk incessantly about last night's or last weekend's game. Reviewing division facts or finishing up that last book report cannot compete with this excitement. The best that a teacher can do is reward whatever productive work time and cooperative behavior is demonstrated with generous doses of outdoor time and to plan a long Field Day.

The second group of Spring Fever candidates falls into a more acceptable category, as they are the ones who wait and shed their inhibitions after state-mandated standardized tests are over. Teachers' constant drilling of facts and piling on the work load in the weeks leading up to the Big One, eventually give way to everyone letting out their breath and letting down their hair.

These students know that teacher expectations have not disappeared yet, but that at least they will do some fun work now. Hands-on projects, creative and imaginative learning products, field trips, and dramatic performances replace the more intense and technical educational activities of previous months.

Not demanding a respite triggered by a particular school event is the third group of Spring Fever sufferers who just burn out prematurely in the school year. Though tempting to label many pupils in this category, these are the ones who easily accomplished above average and accelerated learning for most of the year and suddenly became a child the teacher does not recognize.

Copying over a routine assignment now takes all of class time, recess, and a frustrating battle of all night homework. One's pencil or scissors take on a fascinating quality that requires tunnel-visioned focus to examine its interesting details and creative new uses. That once annoying, underachieving neighbor becomes his/her best friend and role model in how to think of as many ways as possible to stall in beginning an assignment and distract the teacher.

How to regain these learners' enthusiasm for education is a mystery. Possibly tapping into their advanced interests such as Greek mythology, the Lochness monster, underwater exploration, solar energy, or Baroque musicians will bring them back from the abyss and spark a motivation to give it one last try.

Spring Fever is a phenomenon that only an experienced educator understands. First time teachers are not expecting this change in personality and blame themselves for the sudden waning in student attention, effort, and self-control. All the old tricks to motivate no longer work and those lurking consequences are now a joke...been there, done that they think. Now is the time for all able teachers to come to the aid of their sanity. Be creative and think outside the box to find ways to keep the children on track just a little longer. This too shall pass, and those learning zombies will return in the fall having found themselves again over the summer to brighten another teacher's school year.