The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.
by Grace Savage
Staff Writer
Bradley’s second quarter is coming to an end, but exams are only beginning. Several students find worry and anxiety with this unfortunate fact while others struggle to study their classes’ material. Even though exams only count as 10% (honors = 20%) towards a student's final grade, they can still be extremely overwhelming, especially when it’s the only thing teachers are currently talking about.
Several students have been looking back on study tools such as Notability and Quizlet to prepare. Micah Gallebo (10) mentions, “I will be preparing for midterms by looking back at my old tests, notes, and things I have saved in Notability, and probably redoing some homework.” Students who’ve saved their notes and various homework assignments in Notability have a better chance of succeeding exam week. It’s easier to find study material in an app everyone is comfortable with, rather than trying to find crumpled up paper assignments in backpacks.
Underclassmen have no idea what to expect, adding on to the stress they already had. Taylor Garza (10) says, “I’ve just been looking over past assignments, but I don’t know what to expect because I’ve never had exams before.” The crazy year of 2020 kept people from doing many things, specifically keeping Sophomores from having exams; so many sophomores are wondering what it’ll be like.
But students aren’t the only one’s worried as we approach exams. Teachers and administrators are feeling the pressure too as it has been a long time since they have had to administer exams as well. Freshmen Algebra teacher, Ms. Bergstrom, says, “To prepare my students for exams, we’re having a discussion about how to calculate your grade to see the impact of exams to prove that the idea of the exam is to show your knowledge of how you’ve grown throughout the semester.” Most students at Bradley don’t know how midterms impact their overall grade for the semester, so knowing how to calculate that would be extremely helpful. Ms.Bergstrom continues, “We’re really setting up those opportunities to study material whether it be in class or at home. It’s nothing to be afraid of, but it’s an educational opportunity.” Although midterms can be stressful, they’re nothing to lose sleep over; it’s just an opportunity to get into an important college.
In regards to the stress multiple students are feeling, Micah explains that he’s, “feeling stressed but not too stressed. I know it’s coming, I can see it in the distance, but it’s not here yet.” Exams are slowly approaching, and they’re nothing to procrastinate about. Although the word “exam” might seem scary, many would argue that they aren’t at all stressful once the time comes to test.