Students Wait for Final Bell [AUDIO]

The trees are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the temperatures are rising, but our children are stuck inside a classroom. It's that time of the school year when many students struggle to focus and behave, as they pray for the start of summer vacation.

For the older kids, concentration may be even harder to come by; prom and graduation plans are taking precedence over algebra and science.

"I certainly think that it's harder for kids to be motivated, to stay focused, once they see the end in sight," said Dr. Steven Tobias, director of the Center for Child and Family Development in Morristown.

Tobias noted, though, students aren't the only ones waiting for that final bell to ring next month. Parents may be fed up with homework at this point, and teachers are reaching for the finish line as well. However, teachers are still under pressure to get through the curriculum.

"There's a lot that the kids still have to learn," Tobias said, pointing to a "tension" that builds between the work that needs to be done and the lack of effort from the children.

"If everybody's working together, everybody empathizes with another -- for the past 100 years, kids have gotten through the end of school," he said. "I think they'll manage this year as well."