Food for Thought: Finals Week
For many high school students, it’s the dreaded week of finals, where Christmas feels like seven years away instead of a fleeting week, where bags under eyes are more populous than the schoolbags themselves, and where yoga pants, beanies, and sweatshirts populate the bodies of overworked and exhausted students.
If you shook your head to any of these statements, chances are you either are a) a student or b) have gone through the process of finals week. While the week itself brings high stress, anxiety, and tension to make the final cut to the desired grade, there are plenty of reasons to remain positive.
First of all, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get the perfect grade that you idealized. Simply put, it happens and it’s okay. Sometimes, you can study for hours upon hours, know the material inside and out, and still have a less than stellar performance. While the initial sight of your grade might be disappointed, be comforted knowing that your worth isn’t defined by how well you do on a test, or what your SAT scores are, or what your transcripts say. You’re worthy because you’re YOU, because nobody else can even do justice of trying to be you. You’re unique, beautiful, and intelligent, and that’s something to smile about regardless of whether you get a B or an A in AP World History.
Second of all, let’s smile during finals week! I constantly see people looking down in the dumps during finals week, more than likely as a result of stress or panic. We’re a week away from the holidays! If you can survive seven days of school, you’ll get two weeks of celebration, good food, and everything wonderful associated with the greatest time of year. Smile! Be happy! Listen to Christmas music, and remember that there’s a light quickly coming at the end of the tunnel.
Lastly, and most importantly, let’s not forget the importance of education. As a teenager in the United States, I constantly forget the splendor of being able to not only be a girl with the freedom to pursue an education, but the education being free, safe, and high quality. For our brothers and sisters around the world, education is the only thing on their Christmas list, and it’s important to remember the struggles that others face around the world. Being able to learn is a blessing, a privilege that not everyone receives. In the face of global issues, being upset at the amount of homework that you have or the amount of studying you have to do are trivial worries. Don’t waste your precious time and energy being upset at something that’s actually supposed to be a wonderful thing!
If nothing else works, remember this: you’re still rad whether you get the A or the B. Put the stress balls away, take a deep breath, and know that you’re not alone in your worries.
Julia Schemmer, 16, lives in "Horsetown U.S.A" where she participates in several AP courses, nineteen clubs, musical theater and active community service. She loves Jesus, coffee, classic literature, and life in general. After high school, she wants to pursue being an international human rights lawyer.