BrookSpeak

It is the time of the year again that determines the standing of students academically for the semester and possibly what is received for Christmas.

Finals and end of course test scores are the last things students have to worry about before heading on to Christmas break.

End of course tests and finals are weeks full of mixed emotions. Some feel nervousness while others feel a sense of urgency and stress.

“I feel kind of nervous that I might fail. My teacher said that if I passed the final and the end of course test that it would bring a major boost in my grade,� said freshman Ikeisha Stargell.

“ I don’t feel anything because it is just like a regular test. It is just a compilation of things that we should already know,� said senior Wilgens Pierre.

Teachers feel these same pressures and stress during finals week.

“I feel like I have a lot to do and no time to do it. I feel stressed to get everything completed by Christmas,� said English teacher Amy Lydigsen.

“I feel nervous for my students because I have mostly have seniors and it is a fear of whether they are going to graduate or not. At times I am more nervous than my students and that is a bad thing,� said World History teacher Jennifer Hogan.

Preparation is an essential key to either doing really well on the exams or doing very poorly. Some students and teachers vary their way of preparing for these rigorous tests.

“ Preparing for finals is a semester long task. It starts from the day students walk in the class until the week of the final.� said Social Studies teacher Damien Mitchell.

“ I study one day before the test because if I study two weeks before, I am going to forget everything that I learned and tried to study for.� said Stargell.

Some teachers make their own test while others get with a group of teachers and create identical tests for the course as a whole.

“ I have to use the department final because it is mandatory for me to use. The reason for this is because all the finals are skill – based,� said Lydigsen.

“ I create my own finals because it is not mandatory that I use the same finals as the other World History teachers although it must be similar,� said Hogan

Many students all yearn for the last question on the end of course or finals exam, which signifies that the individual is done. After the student is done the rest lies in the teacher’s ball court.

“I feel relieved and then stressed because I have to finish grades, but then I feel excited that winter vacation is here,� said Hogan

“ I feel relieved because its over with and I don’t have to see that teacher again until next semester.� said junior Albert Lee