A common issue seen amongst high school and college students is procrastination. This deceiving option to completing work may seem attractive at first, but it’s outcomes are not always pleasing.
The specific reason why student procrastination is uncertain, and every person seems has their unique reason for putting off assignments until they are soon due. At Woodside, John Arner thinks students prefer to push assignments that they don’t have interest in or that they don’t think they can complete properly.
“My experience with high school students is that they view a deadline as the first time to start on something,” Arner told Woodside World. “You’ll always do the things that you like first, and then eventually get to what you don’t like doing.”
A recent study completed by The Guardian shows that over 70% of students in America procrastinate, a number that has quadrupled in the past 30 years. When asked if he struggled with procrastination in school, John Arner said, “I did struggle, but not as bad as some others. A lesson I learned in college is turning in an essay one week early… that satisfaction convinced me to stop procrastinate.”
Procrastination can easily be interpreted as a habit, one that grows if you catch interest in it at first. At Woodside, fellow junior MIles Reines battles with procrastination daily.
“Temptation makes me want to procrastinate,” Reines said. “A lot of times I just want to lay back, forget about the work and do nothing… I hate work.”
As High School students advance to college, the idea of bringing a habit of procrastination with them is dreadful. Some students prefer to avoid procrastination, as it interferes with important extra-curricular activities. Terez Touhey, a college athlete at Siena College, firmly believes her ability to avoid procrastination comes from her duties as a water polo player.
“I am not absent from many of my classes,” Touhey told Woodside World. “When I have to be absent, it is not that hard to make up the work, but I am watched by an academic advisor, an athletic director, and a coach. If they turn in something late, they are the first to know.
For teachers, getting students to avoid procrastination is not an easy task. John Arner agrees firm deadlines are a priority, but by giving students extra time to complete assignments,they become prone to procrastination.
“I would use outside school activities as motivation to get the job done,” Arner told Woodside World. “I would award myself with golf if I finished my homework.. And if you prioritize yourself in that way, then you are less likely to procrastinate.”
