During the school year, the quarter students perform the worst in is the third quarter. This is called the “Third Quarter Slump.” In a survey it was found on average 75% of students performed the worst in the 3rd quarter. It also stated on average 83.3% of students perform the best in the 1st quarter.
“I don’t like the 3rd quarter because there’s nothing to look forward to and its winter so it’s hard to stay motivated. I also feel like everyone’s miserable and it’s just not a fun time,” freshman Grace Baker said.
The third quarter is right after winter break and standardized tests come into view. Teachers also start to keep their rules stricter and late work is less accepted. The third quarter is also during the winter months which can be gloomy and melancholy, which then leads to students being less motivated to do their work.
“I don’t like the 3rd quarter because it feels super slow and boring. I really don’t like it,” said sophomore Kyleigh Busby.
According to Dailyish Teacher, teachers are also able to notice the slump in the third quarter. The teachers want the students to reach out for help if they end up in a slump and the teachers want to help students.
“In my experience, students often perform worse in the 3rd quarter. This is the quarter that seems to have the most content, and there is a lot of testing. There are not many days of school off, so students do not get as many breaks. I have also noticed student motivation typically decreases in the 3rd quarter, which results in grades going down because students do not study as much/complete their work,” science teacher Abigail Burchfield said.
Here are some tips for students to help them stay out of the slump: try to stay on top of work as much as possible, stay positive throughout the gloomy months, take advantage of snow days or days off, ask for help because your teachers want to help you and give yourself a break if you need one.