As spring comes to rejuvenate nature, several changes are also noticeable on campus at Gunn. Students’ attitudes evolve with the weather, and teachers are the ones who see these transitions the most.

Teachers find that it is harder to get students’ attentions during the spring. “I believe that students are rowdier, more often truant and have greater difficulty concentrating in the spring when the weather is hot,” social studies teacher Phil Lyons said.

Math teacher Sarah Kastelic has also noticed these changes. “Some students get anxious for summer vacation,” she said. “Some people lose focus.”

Spring showers have proven to be just as distracting as hot weather. “The most amusing thing about rain is that when it pours, it is as if a teenager has never in his or her life seen it before,” English teacher Kristina Gossard said. “Even the most attentive student is suddenly unable to focus on anything.”

Despite their students’ changing attitudes, teachers still keep their classes on task. “When the weather is really nice, I find myself joking around a little more and talking much more loudly,” science teacher Bill Dunbar said. “Anything for [the students’] attention.”

Lyons said he does not change the curriculum or his delivery style in the spring. “Content and teaching methods remain the same irrespective of the weather,” he said. “Considering the fact that people go to school in Finland when it’s 50° below zero and in Israel when it’s 110° leads me to believe that humans are able to academically succeed in spite of extreme temperature changes.”

Even though it makes it more difficult to do their jobs, teachers are happy when spring arrives. “Ms. Hawkins and I were commenting about spring being in the air,” Gossard said. “Couples were holding hands, birds were singing and everyone looked happy. The stereotype about spring exists for a reason.”