Caption: Photo taken from wikipedia.comWe are approaching mid-June and we are still "full steam ahead". Folks often ask me if we are "winding down in the classes" and the truth is, No! the curricula for our courses at RMHS are too robust; in my classes we teach through the last day of classes. Oh, that's not to say the students don't try to squangle out of the work. (!) "C'mon, Mrs. Fitz, isn't there a movie we can watch?" "How about we just sit here and, well, do nothing, Mrs. Fitz?" Hmmmm.... we teachers spend so much energy these days keeping the students learning and on task.
The cold, grey weather has been a blessing. It makes summer seem so far off. Thank you, Mother Nature, for thinking of us teachers!
So, parents, your kids should still be lugging home big, heavy backpacks with meaningful work. They should still feel the locomotive of learning. Psssst. We won't remind the students but school will end in ten days. Until then, we'll keep them focused, engaged and productive.
23 comments:
This is Joey from period 1.
I think that the school year should not be hard work up until the last day. We work very hard throughout the year and I think that the last few weeks should be less work. This would make sense because everyone is getting anxious for summer and will not be paying much attention either way. Overall we have been doing a lot of work, and the summer is much anticipated by myself and other peers.
Joey,
It's Mrs. Fitzpatrick.
I so understand what you're saying. But, as a teacher, we have such big responsibilites to teach through the end, especially in the Honors and CP classes. Why? Well, even though it is hard work it IS to your advantage. Just think...once the afternoon of June 22nd comes, you will feel so happy AND proud to be done with a strong, rigorous year! Me? I'll still be working getting through all the finals!!
Colin from p.4--
Thanks mother nature for thinking of those teachers...but what about us students, it is mid june and most of us want to be out having a good time...at least we only have 4 or 5 days left.
Its Katelin from period 4,
I agree with Colin. The last few weeks have been really rainy and cloudy. We haven't had the opportunity to be doing stuff outside,(after we finish our math homework of course!!!) which has made the last few weeks feel even longer!
I'm glad the weather has been cooler and rainy these past few weeks. It's easier to sit through the school day when I'm not wishing I could be outside. Hopefully it'll be sunny and warm once vacation begins!
-Maureen, period 1
Hello Mrs. Fitz.
Its Chris from period 4. I think you are right, the weather really makes it seem like we still have a couple weeks of school left. It still hasn't sunk in for me that after tomorrow, school is pretty much over. Thanks again for the extra help.
hi this is nick from period 5. I think that the end of the year should not be a time of intense learning. We should cover a few small topics the week before finals but in the days leading up we should just review. I think assigning homework takes away from our time to study and i especially think tests should be avoided. Speaking from personal experience studying for a test and doing actual work real hurts the amount of time that can be spent studying and although we are still technically reviewing, it would be nice to be given the freedom to review what we want rather than doing assigned problems which we might not need extra work with.
Nick- Period 1
I think that it can be tough trying to teach major units towards the end of the year. I understand the importance of getting all the material in, but I think that it would be more beneficial to get everything in a week before finals. That way, we would stay on topic for the year and then for the remaining week, we could spend time reviewing for the final.
This is Jill from period 5 and i've definately noticed that we work hard up until the last day unlike previous years. I dont like this change because i feel so overwhelmed with all the work teachers are cramming in the last few weeks along with having to study for finals. Also, as for the weather i dont really like it cause gray, rainy days just make me feel more tired than i already am and hope that as soon as school ends it gets nicer.
Hi this is Parker from period 1.
I agree that it is important to be able to get all of the material in by the end of the school year. However, I think that we should try to sped as much time as we can reviewing for the final as this is a significant part of our grade. I think that lately I have been very overwhelmed with all of the information thrown at us. My head is still spinning from thinking about all the info we have learned recently. I think it's important to get all of the material in but I also think that we should not be cramming at the end.
Its Carter from Period 1,
So far, in most of my classes the classwork has not slowed down, but the homework as significantly decreased. Just about all my teachers simply have "Study for Final" as the HW. I am really trying to force myself to struggle through these last assignments, but I will be extremely pleased when its over.
This is Paul from period 4.
I agree with Nick that the last week or so should be mainly review for the final and not learning new topics. For teachers to be able to teach all of the curriculum that is part of the course, we could work a little harder during the middle of the year. Besides that, reviewing at the end of the year is a little more condusive to our spring fever because we might not have to focus as much if we are solid on a particular topic.
This is Brendan from period 5. It seems like even though theres only one day of class left we're still learning a lot. If i was put into class without knowing the date i would assume it was April. The workload is still a lot and the weather makes it seem like its still spring.
This is Katherine from period 4. I think it is good that we are still learning new things and staying busy. However, like some other people said, I think we should have at least one or two days to review for the final. All of the new work is getting a little overwhelming because we are also studying for other finals.
This is Erin from period 5.
Although I understand the importance of the geometry cirriculum and how its hard for the teachers to fit everything in a 180-day schedule, I think that learning until the last day is difficult for students. The homework seems to be piling on right when everyones getting ready to study like crazy for their final. The extra work just adds to the students unnessacary end-of-the-year stress. I think that the current unit should have wrapped up Friday of last week. I think that if students has the last two days to review for the final everyone would be less stressed and probably relieved. Since there is so much studying involved in final exams, its necessary to study more than just the night before the exam. We need the extra time over the past weekend and Monday and Tuesday of this week for time to study. I'm sure the students are feeling very overwhlemed with all the last minute work we've been getting this week. It is also hard to focus when students are anxious about finals and ready for the summer. I know that I can't wait for the school year to be over and I'm sure the other students agree with me. The extra work this week is a hassle and students would benefit so much more without it.
Tina Bell per. 1
Well, now we only have one class day left, but I feel like we've learned a lot this year. But... I think that the last few days of school should be relaxing and all review. Cramming in new material at the last minute doesn't give enough time to prepare for the final because we are still trying to learn it. I did like having that packet of graded problems to do over the weekend, though, because it gave me a chance get comfortable with the work we've been doing and I can bring up my grade!
This is Connor from period 5.
I think that working right up until the end of the year is very hard for most kids because everyone is anxious for summer and trying to get ready for final exams and it is very stressing to go home and knowing that you still have something to do other than study for the final that will count for 20% of your final grade. I think that we shouldve used the last 2 days of class to specifically review for the final instead of finishing up a unit because it gives students chances to ask about things that they might still not get from the past units that were near the beginning of the Semester. It also lessens the stress that kids feel for studying for finals when they can clear up anything they might have trouble remembering. This also seems to be like the only class that is still working full speed, if all of the other classes we had did this, the workload would be very overwhelming for the students and would just make them even more stressed out.
this is aaron Hackel from period 5
i just wanted to comment about the comment about how the weather is cold and grey so it makes summer seem so far off, i recently was talking to a teacher about how the teachers havnt really let up in the workload and she said that same thing that because it is not really warm out yet it makes it much easier for kids to learn because they dont have the summer fever
Ashley, per 5
I agree with a lot of other people. I'm not a fan of teachers "squeezing in that last project/test/lesson/grade" right before finals. I think it is something that can be more easily done in middle school when you don't have a full week of final exams to study for. I think starting finals on a Wednesday is just an awkward schedule because we have classes half the week and exams the rest then maybe am exam on Monday. I think it would be beneficial to students to at least review or not have anything major due or not start new topics on the Monday and Tuesday or just for the last week in general. Honestly, I think it would be more beneficial to teachers too. One, they wouldn't have to grade other things besides exams two, they wouldn't have to deal with students spring fever as much and also kids would do better on exams if given some in class review time.
Lastly, I speak from experience of having a sister who was a senior, that once the seniors are out/as they're getting out, it is much more difficult to concentrate even though you still have a month left. It's hard to buckle down and study when you have friends or siblings that are out of school or home from college. And when seniors are back in school for activities it's hard to concentrate when you are wishing that could be you!
This is Alison from period 5. I understand why you have the students still working hard, but it would be nice to have at least one day where we can review a little bit in class. That way we can make sure we understand all of the important work we are doing.
This is Brenna from period 4. I agree with Katherine. I think we should have had atleast one day to review. It isn't very easy to study for finals, and continue to learn new concepts at the same time. With a review in every class, you get more studying time and it becomes less stressful.
This is Jared from period 4. I think that the year should wind down because kids stop paying much attention in the last few weeks of school and it is very hard to learn new concepts during those last few weeks.
This is Mrs. Fitzpatrick,
Yes, students, I do understand that you may not want to learn new material at the end. But, now you're playing in the "major leagues": high school. It's really how it's done. Furthermore, there will be some courses that not only do you learn new material and study for the final, but also you may have a project or paper due as well! Yikes! I went through it and I'm sure your parents did to. It's what is asked of strong, capable students. Just think, you're doing a great job juggling it all.
Post a Comment