As the weather gets warmer and the aviators and flip-flops proliferate, it seems as though the whole face of Choate is changing. From the start of the class day until study hours, large numbers of students can be found frolicking about on either Mem Field or the grassy patches of Hill House Circle. As students laugh, sunbathe, and dodge stray Frisbees, a contagious, singular sentiment can be made out on the minds and lips of everyone: Spring term is here at last!

From the moment classes begin in early September, students begin to anticipate and yearn for springtime. Not only because the weather is nice, nor is it because school is almost over and summer is well on its way. The reason is that there’s just something in the air that revitalizes the bodies and souls of students who have been brought down by the bleak New England winter – and I’m not talking about the pollen. Spring simply offers so much more for fun and entertainment than both the other terms do combined. Sure, snow is fun to sled in and throw around. But when’s the last time in recent memory that the snow has been pleasant and lasted long enough for Choate students to really enjoy it?

With the yearly renewal of life and vigor at Choate that comes with the onset of springtime, it’s easy to see why so many students here, particularly the seniors, seem to be losing some of their more academic ambitions. There’s just so much to do now that the sun is up and the grass is green. Even the more focused students “forget” to do homework assignments and attend required commitments on the particularly beautiful days. What makes it all the more agreeable to start slacking is that some teachers seem to sympathize and ease up on students who have been working hard all year long. However, there are also those teachers who do not see the spring as an opportunity to ease up on the demanding curricula of their students. Some find the increasing lack of focus irritating, and they work to reverse it by assigning more work or using pop-quizzes to check that kids are actually doing work. I personally don’t see how this reaction helps resolve anything, even though I understand the rationale behind it.

A lower level of focus in the spring is as inevitable as the warm weather itself, particularly at a high-stress place like Choate. I bet it’s frustrating for teachers to be going at a slower pace than usual because their students aren’t following the curriculum as carefully, but since when is working at a slightly slower pace a bad thing? If the students want to watch a movie, what’s the harm in taking a few minutes off every day to watch a relevant film? When all is said and done, I think the safest bet is for students and teachers to come up with some sort of compromise – whether it’s reached quietly or throughdiscussion – as to how class in the spring ought to work. When students are neglecting work and lacking in participation, it’s not because the teacher is doing a poor job. It’s because we are teenagers forced to stayinside when we’d much rather be playing outside in the sun.

Teachers should recognize when their students are getting restless, and maybe even indulge them a few times. Some teachers refuse to do so on the grounds that students would take advantage of a few less-than-productive classes by asking for more. I think I speak for most of my peers when I say that we aren’t ignorant enough to believe that a fun class once in awhile means we can push a teacher around to get what we want all the time. If anything, it gives us more reason to appreciate both the teacher and the class.

On that note, however, I also believe students have the responsibility to indicate to their teachers in more positive ways where their interests lie. It’s not fair to the teacher to protest boredom by not doing homework or participating in class, and it certainly won’t get you anywhere nearer to a class outside. Stay with the curriculum and do the work until the enticement of spring inevitably draws you out from your desk and onto the grass outside. Find the appropriate balance between staying on top of your schoolwork and enjoying yourself from time to time. And if you never do get around to quite finishing that reading, make sure it gets done, perhaps while soaking up some sun.