Final exams. 100 point presentations. Five hours of studying a night.

And absolutely no motivation.

The end of the school year is filled with many events students look forward to the rest of the year: nice weather, prom, and the upcoming summer. But along with the warming temperatures and shining sun come the lack of motivation to finish the rest of the year.

After months and months of grueling work and an overload of homework, students are ready to be free of the stress and to gain those extra hours of sleep they have not been able to have since Christmas break.

The last few weeks of school seem to drag on for students, who are ready to be outside in the sun instead of in a stuffy classroom. As each weekend gets warmer, it seems as if it is already summer. Then the alarm clock rings early Monday morning and students are forced to drag their feet through the doors of school again, silently thinking of different ways to escape the upcoming hours of school.

Unfortunately, these days when students would rather go out to eat or stay home and sleep are the most crucial and time-consuming days of the entire year. They are the days in which the final grades of the entire year could be decided.

So where does one find the motivation to push through those hard weeks?

Some just try to remember that all they have to do is finish those final tests and assignments and then the stress will be gone. All they need is one last push to get through the days of constant reviews and testing. Then they walk away knowing that they earned the grade they deserve and can rest for the next few months.

For others, it is the anticipation of all the opportunities summer holds that helps them remain focused in class. They know if they work hard now, they may be rewarded later.

But for most, sitting down and opening their textbook becomes almost impossible to do when they could be shopping for a new bathing suit or working on their perfect tan. Summer is so close they can see it yet can’t get to it.

Whatever tactics students use to help the last  few weeks move faster, they are all happier when the final bell rings and their summer is able to begin.