After a long winter the weather has finally warmed up and St. Lawrence University (SLU) students and teachers now need to battle the distraction from class for the last few weeks of the semester. Students are starting to take advantage of the weather on the Quad, the Golf Course, at the River and other outdoor venues, so you would think that leaves one more excuse to skip class or not to pay attention in it. Contrary to that thought process, the nice weather works well with some class formats and gives the opportunity for outdoor interaction.
Angela Sweigart-Gallagher, a professor at SLU, for one, utilized the nice weather for a class of hers. “I actually just took my Theatre, Sustainability, and the Natural World class on a long walk at the sustainability farm on Monday,” she said. Sweigart-Gallagher added that she acknowledges how much better everyone feels with the warmer weather and that she keeps the class active to combat the restlessness.
The timing of the weather actually works well for some other professors based on the type of classes that they teach. “Because I’m a design-based professor mostly, they are working on their final projects,” said Cully Long who teaches in the Performance and Communication Arts (PCA) department. He said that everyone gets a little relaxed for the last few weeks and it is not just the weather, but they are working on final projects, so there is more free time to keep them from being too distracted.
Second-semester SLU senior, Ryan Castle, said that the nice weather has put him in a better mood, but it is a distraction from schoolwork because he would rather be outside enjoying it. Even so, it has not affected his attendance and participation in class. “I’m still going to attend most classes,” Castle said.
Spencer Shepperly, also a SLU senior, recognized that the weather has made it tough to pay attention during class. He said that he finds himself daydreaming in class, wishing that he could be outside with his friends on the quad.
The warm weather looks like it will continue over the next few weeks, so professors will be able to continue to utilize it for outdoor classes and lessons. It will also continue to be a distraction for students that would rather be outside. Good luck to the teachers and students juggling the positives and negatives of this weather over the last few weeks.