Finals are unsurprisingly one of the most stressful times of the year for the Fieldston community, exacerbated by students returning from their (hopefully) restful winter break and immediately being thrust into three weeks of tests, essays and projects. Unfortunately, end-of-semester exams in January do not dissuade teachers from piling on assignments before break, meaning that students leave for the holidays after a stressful couple of weeks only to face the exact same thing when they return. With the current schedule, break disrupts the flow of work during one of the most important times of the first semester. “It adds more stress over break because there are so many things in the back of my mind that just linger throughout break,” says Molly Coulston (Form V). Coulston points out that “[teachers] tell you not to do work over break,” and even though it’s a perfect opportunity to rest and recharge in preparation for finals, it can also be easy to forget certain material and details about lessons, making studying and creating projects more difficult. One upside of having finals after the holidays is that students can use the time to study more if they feel they need it, however this defeats the purpose of break in the first place and takes away from the relaxation it should bring.
If finals took place before break, many of these issues would no longer exist. The holidays create a natural stopping point for the first semester, and starting the second semester on the first day back seems to make the most sense. Although the semesters would be more uneven in length, students could enjoy a more stress-free break knowing that there are no huge assessments in the near future. “If we just did [finals] before, I could actually have a relaxing break,” Coulston asserts. High schoolers would also be able to ease back into a school routine as the semester begins, rather than dealing with exams right away.
People might have different views on the best time for finals as there are benefits of both options, but the solution that results in the least amount of stress is undeniably the best choice for the success of all students. So, Fieldston, what do you believe should be the testing schedule in the future?
