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As an experienced student of public schooling and veteran of Horizon Community Learning Center, I have a large infestation of complaints regarding my schooling. While some are trivial, I find that the most irritating aspect of the educational system is that of midterms and final exams. I'm not suggesting that we get rid of them, because teachers need to administer a final evaluation of what has been covered throughout the semester. There's no rational alternative to finals; they are simply the intrinsic curse bestowed upon all students.

In most schools, you'll find that a student's semester grade relies on what is often one cumulative exam covering everything learned in the past four and a half months. I can understand the logic behind that. However, the inherently evil constituent to this policy of "finals" is that all the classes students take follow the same calendar. Hence, we have six final exams to worry about, six final exams which all occur within two days of each other.

At Horizon, this is the same time that progress reports are passed out, and kids realize the missing assignments that can't be put off much longer. Those who care about resuscitating their grades are swamped with make-up work, as well as the obligation to study. In such a small atmosphere such as our school's, the negative vibes disperse themselves around the courtyard, through Roundtable, and over the desktops. Within ten days of the end of the grading period, almost everyone can sense the torment of the exam. Kids, thinking inanely as they often do, feel hostile toward the teachers. Often heard are comments such as,

"My teacher is so stupid! How are we supposed to pass the stupid test when we have a million other things to wrap up before the end of the semester! Our teachers hate us, they don't care if we fail or not…"

The teachers can't help the fact, but this goes to show the crazy frame of mind assumed by the haggard victims of finals. Their only light at the end of their tunnel is the two-to-three week break, rewarding the survival of the tribulation of which they cannot escape. If a student is not studying or working to catch up, they are planning their endless retreat where they are free from writing papers, completing worksheets, and finishing projects. With such rash thought processes and thoughts of the future, the social intrigue escalates as the students look for anything to distract them from the truth.

With such despair plaguing them, students can hardly put their best effort forward in all six of their classes. A respected teacher from Horizon lets his students know that he is aware of what they're going through at this difficult time. He assures us that it's normal to feel overwhelmed, and that, in general, when people are overloaded with work, they usually shutdown, rather than try to catch up. Some use this to justify their laziness, whereas others take it as a warning not to fall behind before it's too late. In such a hectic time, students need to do the latter, and thank their teacher for the guidance in such severe matters.

The suffering population during this dangerous time that concludes our grading quarter is larger than one may think. Many circumstances can be factored into the level of anguish bestowed upon a student. Some students are overloaded with honors-level courses, and they may be receiving collage credit for such classes. A common accessory to this situation is the aggressive parent who demands good grades. This alone can turn off a child's will to catch up or try to do their best on a test. The more someone feels forced into something, the more likely they are to rebel. Contrariwise, a child may feel obligated to please their tyrannical parent, putting an equal amount of tension on the time of the final exams.

Another circumstance aggravating students is the imperative to get all their missing assignments turned in. All the time management skills in the world can never help one decide between finishing chemistry worksheets due the next day or studying for the three tests that await you tomorrow. Yes, the tests are worth more to a grade, but missing homework can take a grade down by two letters. A student I know quite well is stuck in a similar situation. She has Algebra first period tomorrow and, as of this afternoon, couldn't decide if she should do her homework from last week, a post-date review, or study for her test. In sheer exasperation, she completed three problems from the review and fell asleep shortly after. I woke her up and told her to get back to work; I've been in the same situation many times. I push in the right direction is always appreciated. However, upon awakening, she notified me that she didn't want to think about it and that no matter what I said, she wasn't touching the math book until tomorrow. I felt bad for her, as she had assimilated to what so many cannot escape: the damnation of the final exam.

The most avoidable snag during the season of evil is peer conflicts. With so much scholastic emphasis, troubled students find their escape in social complicity. With everyone in the school irritated with finals, it's common for best friends to argue, couples to break up, and fights to break out. At first, it seems like a coincidence that everything goes wrong at the same time, but upon further inspection, it's apparent that the tension is linked between the social and academic components of one's life.

The unfortunate truth is that there is no evading this repetitious occurrence, and there is no one to blame. It'd be wrong to blame the teachers; they are required to examine everyone's progress in order to grade their students accurately. Students who effectively study for their exams usually benefit enough that they learn to study every time. I think the main idea of the whole concept is that, as students, we need to learn to deal with stressful situations. Some adults like to remind us that life isn't fair, and they're right. College isn't easier than high school, and in most cases, a job will provide more clustered deadlines and inconvenient meetings than school ever will. Students should relax and strive to focus primarily on school as the semester comes to its embittered end, for that is the only way to come out alive.