Exams

It is a very funny thing to watch students take exams. I swear I could write volumes.

They are all over the place in terms of strategy, stress, motivation, and diligence.

On one end of the spectrum you have the A-listers. These are the kids who have learned long ago HOW to study and who are highly motivated to study and do well. You know them...they are the ones who do extra credit even though they have awesome grades. They are the ones who ask for clarification on small details. They are the ones who arrive to the exam with four pencils; two for them, a third one in case BOTH pencils break and one to give out to the losers who forget pencils at all. They carry extra batteries for their calculators JUST IN CASE They arrive at the exams with some stress, but overall confident in their ablities. They attack their assessments with a systematic plan and monitor their progress against the clock. They are the future CEOs and Junior Leaguers. They will graduate will GPA's that are well above 4.o and go on the pledge the top Sororities at major Universities.

In the middle of the sepctrum are those students we realize they need to get a good grade. They are students who are all over the place...some good grades, some bad grades. There is a bit of panic associated with them. They study, but tend to get distracted by phone calls or sports practice or the desire to repaint their nails. They are the kids who organize study sessions at Starbucks and spend so much time getting READY to study that they dont actually ever study. They arrive at exams realizing they forgot their books in their locker, irritated because they didnt know they could have a note card with formulas on it during the exams. They will attend community college for two year and then go on to major universities. They will be come the soccer moms and retail sales or middle management people of tomorrow.

At the far left of the spectrum are those who have either realized that their exam grades wont help them because they have toolow of a grade to even benefit from doing well on an exam, OR they just dont really give a s*&t! They arrive to take their exam late, have lost their book, have to go pay for it, and come wielding a blue bic in which to write their test. Their look is one of suprise to learn that this test is actually Biology and not Geometry. Oh well...they studied Geometry. These are the kids who struggle through the first two pages and then just Christmas Tree the rest. They are more concerned with going ot Moe's after the exam than anything else. They will become the actors, hair stylists and trainers of tomorrow.

I find exams to be a big hassle. Mostly my students score what they score on the average chapter test. I feel alot like it is a formailty to the end of the year, but also a good way for them to practice for college finals. Overall...Im simply glad they are done.