by Ava Witt
Staff Writer
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.
While many people are gearing up for the winter season and holidays, students all over the U.S. are preparing to take their midterms before winter break. There's many factors that play into a successful midterm week like emotions and how prepared you are for the tests.
While studying and making sure you're prepared come in handy to pass, taking care of your mental health is also very important. Many teachers, parents, and administration put a lot of pressure onto students to do well and it can overwhelm their brain with stress. Added stress around midterm time can cause a lot of distraction and hardships to studying and being focused on the material.
Nasra Musse (10) gives an insight on how she's been preparing for midterms these past few weeks. “In class I've been preparing by taking notes and really trying my hardest to stay off of my phone so I can take in all of the information that I will use for exams. I've been writing information down so it sticks better in my brain and I remember what I'm learning. I've also been lucky to gain access to past quizzes and workbook checks that my teachers have posted so those are very helpful to study with.” While students make a big difference in their exam grade, teachers contribute just as much if not more. Having a teacher that teaches you the correct information and has helpful study tips can make a huge impact on your final exam grade.
Addy Eckstein (12) shares her thoughts about the upcoming exams and how it's been affecting her. “I'm nervous about midterms coming up so soon because they could make or break my grade. I definitely can tell that they are affecting my mental health especially when it comes to anxiety and stress levels because i'm making sure i do my best so it can reflect in my overall semester grade.'' While some students can treat exam week just like any normal test, that's not the case for most. A Lot of students' stress and anxiety levels rise during test week because of the amount of pressure they put on themselves.
Many teachers have been doing an amazing job preparing their students to take their exams. We have to recognize that exam week isn't just stressful for students, it's also very stressful for teachers. Mrs. Baker (teacher) has done a great job getting her students ready for the tests. “I've made sure that over these past few weeks that we've made it through all of the material we need to learn before midterms. We've had tons of days to review before testing and I've done a lot to prepare students. I record all of the lectures so they can go back and listen through or follow along to make sure they're getting all of the information. I've also opened all of the previous modules for students to look back through and have access to quizzes and kahoots that we've done.”
Taking care of your mental health isn't just important for exam week, it's important all the time. Students seem to lose track of their mental health because they are so focused on the end goal which is passing their exams and classes. Sara Jarad (10) “I'm very scared for midterms and I feel like I've been putting so much pressure on myself to do well in all of my classes so I can keep up with my good grades. This has definitely affected my mental health stress wise because I've been so nervous for exams.” Students all over the U.S. put their mental health in jeopardy because of the amount of attention and focus they need to pass the tests. They overwhelm their brain with so much information it's hard to stay focused.
Teachers are always rooting for students to pass, so they do as much as they can in the weeks leading up to midterms and finals. This includes learning more information, creating study tools, and supporting their students through exams. Ms. Adams (teacher) gives a piece of advice to her students “don't stress too much about midterms and exams because you know more than you think you do. You need to trust yourself and your teachers that they have prepared you well enough for the upcoming tests.”
While midterms and finals are coming up close students still need to make sure they are taking care of their mental wellbeing as well as their physical wellbeing. Making sure your mind and body are healthy is the best way you can prepare yourself.