Category: school

Finals and the pressure that comes with them

displacedlocalLeave a comment

Right now I am taking a break from analyzing my interview notes and filling the gaps in my history knowledge to speak about finals.

This is the first time I have felt really concerned about every. single. one. of my finals. I am on the border of A/B in all of my classes and these finals could mean the difference between going to the college I have had my eyes on, Northeastern, and losing this option forever.

This is a huge pressure on me and I am concerned with what the results might be.

History is one of my strong points and I have been studying, but there are definite gaps in my knowledge.

Journalism has been kicking my butt all year. We have one last article to write before the end of the year and the final grades. This has me very stressed about my grade.

English is something that I am not very nervous about due to my knowledge of the material being tested.

Calculus. Oh god. Calculus is going to be a nightmare. I am going to have to ace this final to oblivion to even consider an A. I have been studying a lot and am planning on going to the 2 and a half hour study session for extra review.

Physics is one of my stronger points and I am actually excited to take the final and I am prepared for it.

Finals should be… Interesting.

Now back to Writing the Journalism final that I have been dreading.

Finals

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

Right now the Upper Campus is filled with students stressing out, worrying, and complaining. Why? Finals begin on Friday, and everyone is feeling the effects of their prolonged procrastination.

Teachers repeatedly remind us to study and get some sleep, all the while stacking homework on us as if playing with building blocks. Last minute tests are hurriedly being completed, and review sessions take up the majority of class time.

On Friday, every student, with the exception of maybe two or three, will cram into their assigned classroom, silent and exhausted from a full night of studying. They will spend the next two hours on their English final, and then be released to lunch.

In the afternoon, those with an art final will stick around, while those lucky enough to be done for the day take off. Whether it’s back to their dorm room or their home doesn’t make a difference.

The finals will continue on Saturday, with History, and a day off on Sunday. On Monday, the school will reconvene and knock out he last three.

And then finally, at the end of an exhausting week, we will all be released for break. For that amazing three week Christmas break everyone has been looking forward to since the start of the school year. And I can’t wait.

A.P. World History

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

For those of you who go to the Ojai Valley School, you will have heard of Mr. Alvarez. For those of you don’t, Fred Alvarez is the Humanities, A.P. World History, World History, and Journalism teacher.

The double faced mug sitting on the bookshelf in the corner of his classroom, printed with both “Mr. Muffin” and “Mr. Evil,” says it all. Mr. Alvarez’s classes are among the hardest.

Last year, I was in the Freshman Humanities class. He tortured us, assigning a reading journal almost every night. Extra Credit was rare, and when it did come along, it was in the form of fishing or writing a song.

Humanities is that class you talk about, complain about, go to sleep thinking about, and secretly love.

A.P. World History is very similar. At the beginning of the year, Mr. Alvarez warned us of the insurmountable amounts of reading we would have as homework.

He was not kidding.

The majority of class stopped reading after Chapter 4. We are now on Chapter 12. Every Wednesday is “Essay Day”, where we assigned a prompt and given a little over an hour to complete an essay, which will then be picked apart, criticized, and graded by the class. Public humiliation at it’s finest.

Despite the ridiculous amounts of reading and essay writing, I learn the most from those classes. I walk in the door excited about the next 45 minutes, and I have fun. A.P. World History challenges me to do the best I can.