End of the Year Mood by: TQ Williamson

The end of the year has already begun. In fact, it began a couple of weeks ago. In most of my classes, teachers have started review for end of the year standardized tests. Half of my teachers have started good and important review that makes me walk out of class feeling like I had a very productive hour and a half. The other half unfortunately, is not productive. These teachers will give out things like review packets or study guides but not enforce their completion and simply allow students to talk with their peers or play on their electronics. Therefore, not getting anything done and creating a feeling of the end of the year. School should only start to feel like it is the end of the year after all tests and learning is done. The classes that are already becoming lazy before standardized tests are set up to not do as well as classes that are putting in the work.

            I always find that a class works best for me at the end of the year when the teacher gives us review packets, and online review sessions to do. The way to keep students accountable for completing these reviews is put a grade on them and more importantly, emphasize the reason the students should be doing the reviews and the results that doing them and not doing them could have. Finally, I am always more encouraged to get a whole packet of review done when the teacher made the packet themselves, it is organized, and broken up into manageable chunks.

           

The end of the year mood should be saved for the end of the year. I feel much less motivated to get anything done when the teachers of my classes are acting unmotivated. Teachers need to stay in a working, productive mood to keep their student that way as well. Structuring the review or work that you have left to match the first part of the school year and motivating students to work is a great way to keep the teacher and students in a school mindset and not a summer one.