Welcoming the Finals

Students and Teachers reveal their thoughts about the Finals

By: Teresa Shaw

It is the start of June. To Students and teachers, June means the fresh start of summer. To eighth graders to seniors in High School, June was not only the warm welcoming of Summer, but the start of finals. For the eighth graders this year in Stoller Middle School, the finals are held three days before the 17th, the last day of school. In surprise, the eighth graders this year do not look at the finals as anything important, but as another test to study for. "I think the finals are useless." Katherine Lu exclaims. "They'r

e basically a waste of time for the students to do. Why not do reviews instead?" Hannah Lyons also agrees to this fact. "It's counts way too much into our grade. If we bomb this, even if we had straight A's previously, we would fail the class!." The teachers though, disagree strongly with this fact. "Finals are a way for students to get ready for not only High School, but College as well. Students need to learn that once they learn a lesson, they can't just learn it at one moment, and throw that knowledge away. They should learn that they should keep all of that knowledge, as use it constantly. The only way to review their knowledge is to do a final." Ms. Hauth explains. "In my class, we have been learning roots throughout the year. In Blue hall, we'll just be testing on all 450 roots we learned. There is no way it's hard or easy, it all just depends on how much you know." Ms. Owens explains. The teachers then, continually tried to explain that the finals are in no way to made unfair. In both the math and science finals, all of the 8th grades teachers are meeting up and making the test itself together. Not only that, some teachers are even providing reviews a week

before the finals itself in order to prepare the students for the test they're taking, "I think it's a good idea that the teachers are working together on the finals" Kacie Roman claims. "This makes it more fair since one hall wouldn't have an easier test as another." Ms. Hauth agrees with this fact as well. "Compared to the other years, this year, all of the math teachers are making the test together. This really made us touch base and learn whether or not we're teaching the same stuff or not."

Now, the only debating problem is whether or not eighth graders should even have finals in the first place. With the majority of the

An example of a student taking a test.

students believing that finals are just a waste of time, most agree that they should have started in High School. But is that true? Without the help and aid in Middle School, would students be able to do fine in High School? "I actually think we should have started finals earlier, like in 7th grade." Kacie Roman states. "Then, we would actually be prepared for them." Teachers though, state that eighth grade is the best time to start the finals, saying that there is nothing to review over during seventh grade, but, since the eighth graders are preparing for High School, there are a lot to go over in eighth grade. "I think you (eight graders) might as well be called "Little Ninth Graders" instead." Ms. Owens said.

While preparing to go to High School as the "Little Ninth Graders" we are, many eighth graders wonder about the needs of finals. To many, finals are just a bother and a waste of time. To others though, they're a great experience to move on in High School. But what matters the most to them, is to step up and graduate with passing colors, with nothing holding them back.