Guest Blogger:  Larry Rehage

In summarizing the significance of the pivotal 12th grade year, the late James Valhouli, a Phillips Exeter English teacher, eloquently captures the complex interplay of perspectives at work on 12th graders.

It is here that one begins to look forward and backward with equal intensity and with equal awe at what has been and what might be. Ambivalence and irony and ambiguity are not reserved solely for seniors, but it is usually during this period that one begins to see life as a . . . complex and puzzling continuum that almost seems beyond comprehension. Here is when decisions become unavoidable and the consequences of our choices are painfully inescapable.  But it is also here that we sense that we too may go forward in time and put our imprint on the world.  It is here that our consciousness begins to nudge forward or blossom and sometimes even explode into recognition, action, or some type of resolution that might influence the rest of our lives.  This is where we begin our lifelong journey into the unknown areas into the self and the world at large.  I think this is when we begin to think about and even decide that we might make a difference in life.  It is here that we normally begin asking those vital, imperative questions that we will return to the rest of our lives. It is also here that we begin to learn those habits of the mind and the heart that might help us to become the individuals that we want to become in the life we create for ourselves. The turmoil of the year might provide the very energy that we can direct into some powerful learning. [“The Senior Year in the High School Curriculum,” Valhouli, ERIC NO. 404764]

Despite the significant potential that Valhouli points to in the senior year, many high school educators across the country see a wasteland plagued by that pervasive disengagement so often referred to as “senioritis.” For many 12th graders, the failure to be engaged in a rigorous and relevant final year of high school comes at a high cost. The statistics regarding many high school graduates’ inability to meet the demands of both the college and the workplace are alarming. Nearly a third of incoming college freshman require remedial coursework in English and math, and many of those entering the workforce do not possess the requisite skills for employment. Beyond the academic consequences, there is mounting evidence that the country’s high school grads are also struggling to negotiate the social and emotional challenges that inevitably come as these emerging adults seek to establish their independence and a meaningful connection to the world beyond high school.

Our session on “Recasting the Senior Year” offers not only an in-depth exploration of the crisis of the senior year but also an examination of model programs and approaches to the 12th grade that can create the capstone educational experience that seniors need in preparation for the real world. If your school is interested in beginning to transform the senior year, join us for a dynamic discussion and presentation as we consider who these seniors are and what they need. If your school has already implemented some effective senior initiatives, we invite you to share them with us. In the words of James Valhouli, join with colleagues as we endeavor to harness that senior energy, or perhaps “senergy,” that “we can direct into some powerful learning.” 

The session “Recasting the Senior Year: Model Programs for Keeping Seniors Engaged” will be held on Friday, February 27 from 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.